Coming Home to You
by BallerinasAreBabyNinjas
Summary: "Because the woman clutching his hand was here with him. And this moment that he deserved least of all was heart-crushingly real." After trauma comes the healing. While they aren't necessarily starting from nothing, for both Kenshin and Kaoru, the aftermath of this battle feels... different somehow. Good different. But different. End of Jinchuu. Moments of fluff.
1. Chapter 1: The Island

Thanks for stopping by! I've been sitting on wanting to write about what happened after Jinchuu for years. It feels so good to be back and writing! Author's notes are at the bottom!

Disclaimer: The characters don't belong to me. I'm just filling some plot holes!

* * *

_Coming Home to You_

Chapter 1: The Island

"Hey, hey. Hey... I'm here, Kenshin. _I'm here_." All he could see was sand, but that voice felt like home.

* * *

Multiple things were happening at once.

Saito was directing the police force that had finally made its way to the island, scouring every inch for proof of weapons dealing. Aoshi sat near the boat, eyes observant as Sano paced near and far, eerily quiet. Megumi was preparing to check wounds. Misao and Yahiko swarmed near like bees, alarmed and protective. And while to a degree, each was in their own little world, everyone was hyper aware of what was happening to Kenshin and Kaoru.

Kenshin couldn't tell you what Kaoru said to him that day on Enishi's island. What she whispered into his hair as his legs gave way to the realization that it was over. _Jinchuu was over._ Tears stained his hair as she hiccuped repeatedly in an effort to keep from sobbing of exhaustion and relief.

He could tell you that the breeze on the island flooded his senses with the smell of sweat, blood, and jasmine. She always smelled faintly of jasmine. A sob ripped through him. He'd missed that smell.

He could tell you that the pattern she stroked onto the back of his gi, trembling fingers caressing around wounds, old and new, was the kanji for her name. He was later told as he lay crumpled in her arms that the only words he'd said at that moment were her name, a mantra on his tongue spoken like a man broken.

He could tell you that his glassy eyes burned with weeks of tears that he hadn't been able to release until this moment. They streamed down his face, soaking into the kimono of the woman he'd missed the most, owed so many apologies, and craved nothing more than her forgiveness.

He could tell you that Kaoru's voice, body, and presence kept him grounded in a way that before he'd never imagined possible- a lifeline he'd thought he lost. '_This is real. _She _is real.' _His nails dug deeply into the cloth of her kimono sleeves as he clung to her and tried to breathe. '_Was he shaking or her?'_ She too held him too tightly; neither cared.

The heaviness Kenshin was feeling wasn't limited to his legs, as he felt the weight niggling- burrowing- into his chest. Ignoring it was hard to do at that moment. Tripping on the sand had been a minor inconvenience. After two strenuous battles against multiple opponents and the depth of the injuries that he'd sustained over the last few months, anyone could understand his exhaustion.

But Kaoru caught him. Like she always did. And the strong, gentle hands of the most important person- _his most important person- _supporting his being did nothing to hold back the dam of his emotions bursting out of his chest, eager to escape the hellish experience of the last few weeks.

Jinchuu had been successful, and Kenshin had thought she was dead. They all did. For weeks. They'd almost lost Yahiko, possibly Tsubame too. Sano and Megumi had almost left for good. And Kaoru had been trapped alone on an island with a crazed man capable of murder for weeks.

_'Because of me.'_

His breathing narrowed becoming more and more shallow as his chest constricted. The hands that had grasped her arms in an attempt to anchor himself sunk as Kenshin's hands clutched weakly at his heart, scratching at his clothes and the skin covering his chest.

"-nshin, you're okay. I just need you t-"

Kenshin's world tilted and his vision _swam_.

Whereas he had been facing the ground, Kenshin's view now consisted of the blueness of the sky- '_Kaoru's eyes are a prettier shade of blue'-_ and the brightness of the sun. Kenshin's eyelids slammed shut and immediately back open repeatedly as the shift in light caused him to hiss, unable to find any air to for his body to utilize. The realization that he was no longer in Kaoru's arms, but sitting on the ground, supported by Sano's body disarmed him further. The faces of the Kenshin-gumi leered close and closer, spewing words he couldn't process. He winced as his arms were jostled. '_Where did Kaoru-dono go?'_

Megumi's voice faded in.

"...need space. Kenshin, if you can hear me, you've got to-" Megumi paused, seeing Kenshin's hand struggle to reach out past her. His lidded eyes were frantic with worry, and she found her own softening in understanding. '_He's reaching for-'_ "Kaoru, come here. Quickly."

Scrambling forward, Kaoru grasped his hand desperately, first with her left than her right. Her right hesitated first, moving to swipe abruptly at her eyes in an effort to keep her face free from her tears. However, Kenshin's arm continued to stretch for her face. With Kaoru supporting the weight of his arm, he summoned the last of his strength to nuzzle her left cheek with the back of his fingers affectionately.

_'Smooth. No scar.'_

Kenshin smiled gently, eyes creasing with happiness as the lack of oxygen hit his lungs once again, sending him into a gasping fit. His eyelids flickered. Somehow Kami-sama kept giving him gifts that he could only hope that one day he would deserve. Because the woman clutching his hand and yelling at him to keep his eyes open was here with him. And this moment that he deserved least of all was heart crushingly real.

Kenshin's eyes fluttered closed.

* * *

Kaoru delivering Tomoe's diary to Enishi wasn't really a surprise. The Kenshin-gumi knew that Misao and Yahiko planned on bringing it. Enishi's disappearance from his holding cell on the ship, however, was a bit more of a surprise. This was followed by Saito's decision to dock the ships until a thorough search for the wanted man could occur, leaving seven restless souls anchored in the bay.

"I can't believe we're still stuck on this damn ship."

"Honestly, Saito could get this ship moving. He' not even thinking of what Kenshin needs!"

Two of the seven, Yahiko and Misao, were a bit more vocal about the delay than the others.

"What Kenshin needs is peace and quiet," Megumi scoffed, leveling the two with a glare that could kill a hundred times over. Unfortunately, the rowdy two weren't getting the messaging.

"Misao, aren't you an Okashira or something? Doesn't that mean anything? Get this thing moving!"

Aoshi sighed while Misao's face flamed red, flickering just in front of Yahiko and grabbing the front of his shirt to pull him as close as threateningly possible. "It doesn't work that way, squirt," wrenching her forehead against his.

"I don't care, you Weasel! If it's real, pull some strings and let's move!"

"Why I outta-"

"_**THAT'S ENOUGH!**_" "Please. Let Kenshin rest." Everyone paused. Kenshin's chest continued to rise and fall evenly, his breathing slightly labored.

Megumi had been a ticking time bomb at the two's immaturity, but no one had expected the contrast of Kaoru's quiet command. Soft but firm, Kaoru's reaction to Misao and Yahiko's tantrum was nothing that the Kenshin-gumi were used to, and the energy in the room remained frozen as the remaining five took the chance to study Kaoru. She sat back straight as a board in a chair to the left of Kenshin's European-styled bed, choosing to focus her attention on Kenshin's cyclical breathing rather than the sudden stillness in the room. Her right hand clasped his left. The dim lighting did nothing to hide the bags under her eyes. She looked skinnier. Some discoloration on her neck peaked out from her collar, and everyone's eyes narrowed. Sano growled lowly as Misao gasped, hand at her mouth. Yahiko looked away in anger. Aoshi's eyes slid shut.

Megumi, hands clenched, took advantage of this moment to clear the space. "You heard her. In fact, there's really too many of us in here. We'll visit Kenshin in shifts, starting with Kaoru. Everyone else, find a new place to be." No one moved. _**"Now."**_

Save for a few "Bye, Kaoru" and a "See ya, Jou-chan," the Kenshin-gumi quietly filtered out of the room. Palm flat against the wood, Megumi closed the door behind the others, choosing to stay in the room a bit longer. Turning to the kettle on the side table near Kenshin's bed, she poured hot water into the cup. "Do you have any pressing injuries that I need to focus on, Kaoru?" Megumi whisked the matcha into the water with ease, keeping her eyes trained on Kaoru for any break in her expression. Kaoru's eyes glazed, and her hand started for her collar. But she came to before her hand reached destination, balling into a fist over her heart. "Not pressing, no."

'_It's not a verbal yes, but..._' Megumi noted. "I'll be back in fifteen minutes," the doctor stated pointedly. "In the meantime, don't move around too much or jump in the line of any more bullets you hear?" At this, Kaoru rolled her eyes with a look that screamed, '_Really?'_ Megumi fired back in a heartbeat. "Oh, I'm very serious. Finding you was a miracle, and I don't want to find out if we can do it again. Ken-san's already had an anxiety attack today so give our hearts a break. Let me know if he awakens and is experiencing any pain. I'll be in to check on him periodically."

Kaoru cut her eyes and snorted, but remained quiet as Megumi placed the tea on the table next to a small glass of water and a wash cloth, giving a quiet thanks as Megumi opened and walked through the door.

"It's good to have you back, Tanuki." she said lowly eyes watering in hidden relief as the door shut behind her.

A soft click. Then it was the two of them.

Kaoru hunched immediately. Giving Kenshin's form a quick scan, Kaoru felt giddy and exhausted, concerned and relieved, and above all had so many questions. '_What happened while I was gone? How is the dojo? Is everyone okay? Is Kenshin?'_ Glancing down at his hand, she found her thumb had a mind of its own and had been stroking the soft skin of the back of his hand. _'__Surprisingly soft.' _Her eyes crinkled as she felt the corners of her mouth pulling upwards. Though he'd fluttered in and out of consciousness on the island, the man was finally resting. had experienced so much together and made it through yet another obstacle. _"Maybe now life will calm down a-"_

"What a nice sight to see."

Face flushed, the raspy voice jolted Kaoru's hunched form ramrod straight, quickly ripping her hand from Kenshin's before relaxing again. Unable to hide her adoration, she gazed at the man in front of her with tears in her eyes. "Hi, Kenshin," she whispered, a smile on her face and in her tone. Kaoru glanced down at her hands then to her right, scanning the wooden side table to find a means to look useful outside of staring at the very clearly awake redhead in front of her. Seeing the wet cloth again, Kaoru grabbed it as she stood and began dabbing at the exposed skin on Kenshin's face to keep his body cool.

"How are you? Your body? Your arm?"

"Uncomfortably numb." Oh. Kaoru hesitated in her dabbing. "Let me go and get Megumi then." Kenshin shook his head, eyes filled with mirth "No, it's alright. This is how it should be. It means the medicine is working." Kaoru's mouth formed a small O, making him chuckle. The sound, though comforting, was charred, and it reminded her to offer the water on the side table. He accepted willingly. After some moments, Kenshin spoke again, his tone casting warmth. "It's good to see you, Kaoru-dono. How are you feeling?"

Kaoru smiled tiredly, eyes watering. "I'm so good, Kenshin. So good now."

Kenshin returned a small smile of his own that slowly faded as his eyes searched her own.

"Megumi-dono made some extremely valid points earlier, Kaoru-dono. Losing you just as we found you… that would would have been- I don't know that I..."

'_Of course he wasn't sleeping.' _This concerned Kenshin was familiar. Kaoru shook her head, facing away from him. Her mouth twisted, and her fingers wrung the long forgotten cloth nervously. "I wasn't expecting to, I swear! I just saw you there and my body just moved." Her shoulders drooped as she sighs. She shifted her gaze to the floor and continued. "But I'd do it again. In a heartbeat."

"_**Absolutely not."**_ Kenshin roared, upper torso flying forward only to be stopped by the intense protest and pain in his muscles. Hissing as Kaoru helped him rest back on his pillow, she continued. "That's unfair, Kenshin, and you know it. You always put yourself in harm's way to protect me that I-" A pause. "It's not wrong that I want to protect you too." Finishing quietly, Kaoru reverted her gaze back to Kenshin, amethyst inspecting ocean blue inquisitively.

Not knowing what to say in the wake of Kenshin's silence, Kaoru sat and found another task with the rapidly cooling matcha that Megumi had left her on the table. '_This room is chilly. Kenshin might need more blankets if we don't get moving soon.'_ Ready to take a fresh sip, the glass was almost to her mouth when Kenshin spoke again:

"Kaoru-dono, I have a favor to ask."

Kaoru paused to look at Kenshin, but his eyes remained on his own cup of water he was gently twisting between his fingers. Eyes dilating as Kenshin turned his head towards her, Kaoru found herself overwhelmed by the full depth of attention the man that she cared for was now giving her. His own eyes completely unguarded. "_I would follow him anywhere," _she realized. The thought had her stomach fluttering freely.

"Come with me to Kyoto."

Kaoru's eyes widened much quicker than her jaw dropped, a comparably slower descent as Kaoru began to comprehend Kenshin's words. '_Can he read minds?'_

A soft smile- a true smile- remained on Kenshin's face portraying emotions in his amethyst eyes that made Kaoru's breath catch, delaying any and all words. And while Kaoru didn't respond verbally, not a single sound echoed through the room, save the crash of the cup for tea that slipped from Kaoru's loosened fingers. Porcelain littered the ship's cement floor underneath the bed, jolting Kaoru back into the moment at hand.

"Kenshin, I- oh, hold on a sec- such a baka," she mumbled, jumping backwards as she averted her attention to the remaining shards of the cup on the ground. "Baka, baka, baka, baka..." Kneeling down, she picked up the pieces, trying hard not to cut herself on the broken glass.

Kenshin's figure maintained his amused expression. Eyes crinkling and hands grasping the tea cup in his hands in an almost unnoticeable grip. If Kaoru could see him, she'd see his nerves betrayed by the slight tremble in his fingers every few moments. "Not forever. Just one day, Kaoru-dono. Just the two of us," he nudged. "I'd-" Indecision flashed across Kenshin's face, and peering down into his cup, he shifted uncomfortably.

"I know after all of this, I'm the last person who deserves to ask something like this of you-" Kaoru opened her mouth, ready to interject, but he continued. "But... I'd like for you to come with me. To meet Tomoe."

Kaoru paused, staring at the cement. The shards in her hand clinked against each other musically at her sudden stop.

"...There's no one else I would want with to come with me, Kaoru." The murmur tugged in such a beautifully cruel manner on her heartstrings. Her mind- almost euphoric- couldn't place why.

"A day in Kyoto?" she whispered, left hand piecing through the shards in her right carefully.

"Ah. A day in Kyoto." he returned gently, still slightly unnerved that she was still out of his line of sight. '_Her face would tell me everything that I need to know in moments like these." _He smiled again, a silent chuckle bubbling at his thoughts.

Honestly, Kaoru knew she would have promised him all of the days that she had left in the world if he'd asked. But this day, right now, her heart felt light just to be near him again. Her eyes shone charmingly so.

"Yes. Kenshin. _Yes, of course. _I'd be honored."

* * *

This pilot chapter held so much! I've strayed from this storyline and more specifically RK for a very long time. Nobuhiro Watsuki's actions made me question a lot of the storyline, and trying to write again when I did felt hurtful to a lot of what I had looked up to in my childhood. I'm not sure if I'm writing this story in an effort to say goodbye to the series or to help shift my perspective to seeing Kenshin in the way that I always believed he was and could be. I've got a few chapters written in advance, so I'm extremely excited to figure out what this journey out of Jinchuu will look like for my OG favourite couple.

My hope is to utilize a two week update schedule but my heart is telling me that it should be a month. Follow the story, review, leave what you liked and constructive thoughts. How is the chapter length? Flow? Let the record show: I'M LOOKING FOR A BETA READER. PMs accepted!


	2. Chapter 2: The Boat

Y'all can I tell you that it's been a rough month? I've been tecnology-less for a little bit longer than I expected and work has been wild. I appreciate everyone who's still supportive of this story! Moving forward, I'll be utilizing a monthly writing schedule (month or less) and then giving my beta reader, some time to review, then up to a week to update with edits and changes. I appreciate all of the reviews, alerts, and favorites in my absence! Comments and constructive criticism are always welcome!

Don't know if I clarified this before but:

"Conversation"

_'Thoughts'_

_Emphasized text_

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Still the same disclaimer as Chapter 1!

* * *

_Coming Home to You_

Chapter 2: The Boat

For a moment, Kaoru could pretend that she wasn't trapped on Enishi's island. The dreams of an emotional rescue by the man that she cared about had haunted her the past three weeks and would probably persist long after she left the place. If she left the place. It seemed Enishi had decided to upgrade her stay to include slight psychological torment. Her space smelled specifically of sandalwood today, a scent she had mentally assigned to Kenshin. Usually it was accompanied by fresh linens... that's what was missing. _'Psht. Amateuer doesn't know my Kenshin.'_ Her body was jostled slightly, and she pouted. _'Stop moving.'_ The scent was inviting. Kaoru found herself shifting closer drowsily. "Five more minutes..."

* * *

Kenshin woke up much differently than he had become accustomed to.

Since Kaoru's kidnapping, much of the little sleep he managed to scrounge together had been plagued with nightmares of his failures. Tomoe's death. Kaoru's death. Everyone who had died at his hands or because of him. Their lifeless eyes communicated words their bodies no longer could. An ever-present night terror that often slithered its way into his daytime thoughts.

Though Kenshin had to admit, since Tomoe had smiled at him last, some of these dreams and thoughts had occurred less. Replaced by a hope that the redhead could neither explain nor prove. _'Hope in what?'_ A question he'd long yearned to have answered. Despite the uncertainty and grief that lay in the answer, this question had brought him more comfort than he'd had in weeks.

Currently though, for the first time since the swordsman could remember, his sleep was dreamless. Whether the extreme exhaustion had finally seeped from his limbs to his brain, or his mind had finally decided to be kind to his weary self, he was unsure. Nevertheless, the reprieve brought by the mental calm was extremely welcome.

The physical pain, however, was extremely unwelcome.

Despite the momentary peace, nothing could stop the excruciating bodily pain initiating from the bullet wound in his right shoulder and searing shockwaves throughout his body. Without his say-so, his body jerked forward, snatching him from his sleep with a grimace tugging on his face. A groan louder than the redhead would have liked pulled from his throat as his left arm refused to move. Overwhelming pain shot through his nerves as his upper body twisted awkwardly maybe half a foot above his pillow, tugging him in two separate directions.

_'What could have-'_ Gaze shot over his left, Kenshin's heart hummed despite his injuries.

Snuggled comfortably on top of his left arm, was Kaoru. _Kaoru._

His body tensed as Kaoru nestled closer into his side. _'Did I wake her?'_ Memories of bumps and bruises left by her bokken, after the many times he tried to wake her, had him smiling before he could catch himself. He was doing that a lot lately. "Five more minutes," her melodic voice, doused heavily with sleep, interrupted his thoughts as she rested her head on his shoulder and lightly returned back to sleep. Kenshin let out the breath that he'd been holding. Instead a rough cough erupted from his chest, and he reached for the end table to his left, draining the cup of water next to his bed.

Carefully leaning back onto his pillow, memories of the last few hours he spent awake came flooding back and amethyst eyes watered. Being held in her arms. Waking up to her voice, gentle and quiet, as she asked for peace in his recovery room. The most vivid, though, being their first conversation since reuniting, was that she said yes to coming to Kyoto. Kaoru said yes. His eyes crinkled happily as he finally allowed his body to sink fully into the lumps of the mattress. While their current terms were one day maximum, just long enough to see Tomoe, his chest felt considerably light. Kenshin huffed quietly, entertained at his thoughts. Never before had he allowed Kaoru to so completely enamor his thoughts. He felt like a teenager again. He blinked away the water gathering in his eyes brought forth by happiness. With the joy he felt coursing through his chest, one would think that Kaoru had told him that she loved him.

_'But hadn't she?'_

He paused. Unable to stop, many of their interactions fluttered through his mind. Since he'd met her, she was always the person that he had grown to want to see before every battle they'd faced together. Like clockwork. His previous dynamic of checking in on her retroactively for injuries at the conclusion of every battle slowly became checking in on her beforehand to support her emotionally. He racked his brain, attempting to figure out when he had changed his ways. Ten years of structure: help, smile ruefully, then leave. Hopefully things were better than he'd found them by the time he'd skipped town. The light bulb in the ship's infirmary flickered like fireflies. His eyes widened slightly as he suddenly recalled.

_'May 14th,'_ Kenshin pondered, turning his gaze and tracing Kaoru's face with his eyes absentmindedly. Her bangs wisped across her forehead. He'd never had the urge to style his own hair much, but, the way the little hairs splayed across her forehead always caught his gaze. He blinked, refocusing. _'Easily one of my most difficult goodbyes.'_ Chuckling, he allowed room for his humor before his mood sombered once again. If he was being honest, his shift in his battle preparation was probably because Kaoru always checked in on him. Constantly worried that he might not come back to her. Even if she didn't love him, she at the cery least cared for him greatly. His heart warmed.

_'How long have you been mine, Kaoru?'_

On the other side of that question, though, was how long had his commitment to never get attached hurt her? His heart twisted as he shut his eyes tightly. _'Baka.'_ Reflecting through each and every one of their check-ins, he recalled feeling dread every time he asked if she was alright. The common denominator, each and every time, was that he was afraid. Afraid that if he asked if she was alright, or needed anything, or felt safe, she would tell him that in order to feel alright or safe, she needed him to leave. To take his past and go far away and never return.

But she never did. The samurai's breath hissed harshly against his teeth. His right hand gripped his sling, pressed dully into the skin of his abdomen. The sparks of pain it caused, he found, re-centered his mind. Since he'd decided to stay at the dojo months ago, Kaoru always made sure that she found him before every single battle. That she could say one last thing. Just in case.

He felt muscles tighten in pain, as his mouth twisted, wishing he could read her mind. Sighing, he attempted to will his current train of thought away. To breathe normally. Evenly. He was almost positive that she wouldn't just send him away. Wanted to hope more than anything she wouldn't._ 'Our last conversation seemed positive enough,'_ he pondered, recalling the resolve in her words. On top of this, he'd just found his personal truth. Part of finding that truth meant allowing himself to be okay with finding happiness again. And Kami-sama, more than anything, he wanted to find that happiness with Kaoru. After Kyoto, they had become… comfortable with each other. Washing dishes together. Taking walks together. She would garden while he would wash clothes. At meals since Kyoto, they had begun drifting, sitting closer to each other. Simply wanting to spend time near each other. Like routine. Routine that he found himself craving. _'Be patient with yourself, baka.'_

Saying he could he could begin to forgive himself was a good thing but also a process. He knew after a decade of closing off, opening up would take work. And apparently with Kaoru's urge to want to protect him, to the point that she would jump in front of a bullet for him, he had motivation to speed up his healing process._ 'Stubborn woman.'_ Groaning at the complexity of the predicament, Kenshin shifted his focus from Kaoru's sleeping face to the ceiling, tracing the cracks in the ceiling with his gaze. More than anything, the swordsmen wished for a free and uninjured hand to throw over his face, maybe even pull his hair in frustration.

The reminder of his left arm, rather the arm underneath Kaoru's head, shifted his attention back to the sleeping woman._ 'Please, Kami-sama, let her be in a good mood.'_ Tugging his arm gently jostled Kaoru, and this time she awoke, long eyelashes beating softly against her cheeks repeatedly._ 'She must be exhausted.'_ Shaking the sleep from her eyes with each bat of her lashes, it took her a minute before she could open them fully.

* * *

"Mmmmmm, it's red, like Kenshin," she mumbled drowsily, inching her left hand forward to toy with the strands and pulling gently. Kenshin snorted softly, clearly entertained by Kaoru's actions. _'So very Kaoru,'_ he thought. It was hard to continue to be surprised. The sound piqued her attention, and Kaoru twisted her head upwards, peering curiously into amethyst eyes before recognition lit across her face.

"It _is_ Kenshin. Hello!" she giggled, her left hand reaching up, flicking Kenshin's nose playfully. "Hi there."

This action took him off guard. Attempting not to jerk away from the touch, Kenshin blinked blankly as he attempted to process what was happening. Kaoru continued to stare at him, eyes shining with a mixture of sleepiness and happiness. The redhead couldn't help but wonder if he'd earned that look. He returned the gesture with a smile. Hesitant. "Good morning, Kaoru-dono." Her nose scrunched. "That's funny. You usually don't say anything for at least a few minutes in these dreams when I get rescued."

Kenshin's left eye twitched.

"Dream? K-Kaoru-dono, I- this isn't a dream," he stuttered, searching for clarity.

"Mmm, but you do tend to tell me this isn't a dream every time!" came the rebuttal. Easily. "It's getting old, you know."

Kenshin's heart fractured a little bit. _'I didn't mean to leave you waiting.'_ A deep breath felt like the snapping of lifelines. "What usually happens next, Kaoru-dono?" His voice cracked as he said her name.

Kaoru's mouth twisted and she shifted onto her back, staring at the ceiling as she processed the dreams. "Well... usually in these dreams, you come fight Enishi. I'm inside the whole time of course, watching from the window. It always smells like my cooking in there. You _know_ how bad my cooking is, and that's all I've been eating!" She threw her hands in the air. Her bangs danced across her forehead with the movement. "Anyways, sometimes you meet me in the room I'd been sleeping in. That part can be different, but you always greet me with such a smile. Such a lovely smile, Kenshin. It always feels so still, so peaceful. A real one. And- and your eyes light up and there's so much... care. It feels like I'm home, ya know?" Her nose _and_ mouth scrunched this time. Briefly though. He'd missed how expressive her face was. "It usually stops there. This last one was a bit different though. Same gist of things though… but yeah." She finished lamely as she shrugged, eyes peering up at him through her lashes once again.

Kenshin eyed her tenderly. _'Break the thought gently.'_ He didn't want to think about the perception of him that her dreams told him she had of him. Not yet. "Why do you think it's different this time Kaoru? This room smells like the ocean, and everything shifts like we're out at sea. It's been three weeks of the same kind of dream, Kaoru. If this wasn't real, and your dreams always stop at a certain point, why would your dream let things get this far this time?"

Blinking slowly, Kaoru's heart began to race. The Kenshin in her dreams never tried to explain the situation away. Sure, sometimes they'd hug. Other times, they'd cry in each others arms. Sometimes they'd just stare at each other. One time she'd even kissed him. But waking up in bed with him was a bit… different. This room felt chilly; the island was warm. Their conversation from earlier... The wheels continued to turn. _'But if Kenshin is right then waking up, I-'_ Her heart must have hiccuped in her chest. She threw the blanket over her face.

"Nononononono- Kenshin, why wouldn't you tell me sooner!? You just let me keep going! I flicked your nose too, oh Kami-SAMA, this is embarrassing." The blanket muffled the majority of her words. Kenshin chuckled nevertheless. She looked absolutely ridiculous. _'Adorable.'_ The only word that could come to mind. Despite his earlier worries, peace seemed much more attainable than it ever had in his life. He couldn't help but yearn for it.

"Last night was the first night that I haven't had a nightmare. Perhaps you're my good luck charm, Kaoru." he encouraged gently, wanting her to make her feel better.

The kenjutsu princess had never been so thankful for a blanket. Bashful, Kaoru's cheeks and ears heated as she buried her face into the giant cloth, then into Kenshin's shoulder. While the bed was just large enough to fit both of them together next to each other, she felt unbearably warm. She flushed further as she realized just how close she was to this man.

Oh.

_'Now's your chance! Tell him now Kaoru. How you missed him. How happy you are to see him. Everything you should have told him, before Jinchuu, that day on the river!'_

What she did instead was much less helpful.

Swatting at his shoulder, Kaoru meant to chastise him. Like she would before Jinchuu happened. Back when things were normal. But the shoulder she chose was his right shoulder- the right shoulder with a bullet wound in it.

Kenshin hissed, grasping his shoulder, feeling liquid on his hand. Kaoru lurched forward, blanket falling forgotten in her lap. "Oh, Kenshin you're bleeding. Kami made me so clumsy!" Kenshin shook his head. _'Left jab is still solid,'_ he noted with a wince. Kaoru would probably hit him again if he'd said it aloud. A chuckle tore its way from his throat. "This isn't funny, Kenshin!" Her hand reached for him again, but he shook his head again. "Maa maa, it's alright, Kaoru. It seems that I was bleeding beforehand," he explained gently, nodding at her hand, which was blotched with his rapidly drying blood. Kenshin looked to his right, slightly frustrated to find there are no bandages nearby. " Kaoru, I-"

She was two steps ahead of him. Shifting to her knees, Kaoru leaned forward, applying pressure gently to his shoulder with one of the clean rags on the side table near her. Eyes focused intensely on Kenshin's wound, she ignored the way his gaze focused solely on her face made her feel. _'I bet I look like a tomato.'_ Kaoru groaned internally, trying desperately to maintain her attention on the wound in front of her and not the redhead making her feel feelings and calling her by her name. Her hand paused.

"You called me Kaoru."

Head tilted to the right, Kenshin could not be more confused. "What?" Kaoru continued, her wide eyes now locked on his own.

"You called me Kaoru. No, Kaoru-dono. Just Kaoru. A-and," Realization kept hitting her hard and her words began to rush together, hands flailing as she continued. "You called me Kaoru earlier too. You've _been_ calling me Kaoru. All day! During our conversation earlier too! So calmly, and I didn't even notice. How could I not notice something so... s-so huge! Kenshin, I-" Seeming to have finally hit an emotional wall, Kaoru slumped her arms coming down to rest at her sides, brushing the side of his legs. She snatched her hands back to her chest. Her bangs wisped upwards gently as he exhaled shakily. Both of them anxious. She leaned in, peering at him for the third time. Studying him. "You've never called me that before."

_'Before Jinchuu.'_

Mind moving a mile a minute, Kenshin's mind scrambled to understand just when he had become so comfortable with her. Had Jinchuu changed so much? As easy as words had flowed before, now he could hardly find the ones that could help frame his reasoning. Some mixture of words from his mouth that would help her understand what he wanted to say. "I like it when you do that. Say _just_ my name, you know. I like it a lot." Her tone quiet with a hint of finality.

Kaoru must truly enjoy keeping him guessing.

There were times when Kaoru could be angry, hitting others- usually him- with her bokken or other random objects. There were times when she was sad, usually around her parent's birthdays, or occasionally as she budgeted for herself and three freeloaders. She would shoulder the burden with a smile that wouldn't always reach her eyes, insisting everything was fine- well, it would be when Yahiko cleaned well, or if Sano brought fish to cook every once in a while instead of eating all of what she had bought.

There were times when she was brave; those were the swordsman's favorite. Her eyes would light up, and her hands would sift through the air energetically. Kaoru definitely talked with her hands. Sometimes there was pacing. And a plan almost always finalized by slamming the bottom of her fist into her palm, as if that made it all official. A call to action of sorts. Sometimes though, her bravery was vulnerable: unscripted and unplanned. Opening her life, her home, and her heart to others that she barely knew, or wanted to know for the rest of her life. Like when she had first asked him to stay after defeating Gohei way back when, or at the riverbank a little over a month ago when she told him that she wanted to stay with him. He really thought she was most beautiful when she was vulnerable.

_'Had they always been sitting so close together?'_ he wondered, hands clammy. At some point, her peering had brought her close to him. Or maybe him closer to her? He wasn't sure. His forehead near hers, he was sure that he could count the light freckles dotting the bridge of her nose and under her eyes. He'd hardly been close enough to notice before. Not for such a long period of time. His mouth felt chalky. Mouth opening, the redhead regretted being so greedy with his water earlier.

"Man, y'all don't waste time, do ya?"

That was _not_ his voice.

Kenshin's head whipped towards the door to see Sano leaning on the door frame, a curious Megumi standing behind him with a raised eyebrow. Kaoru, on the other hand, felt herself falling.

In her shock, the blue eyed woman had jumped backwards away from the redhead, but overestimated how big the bed and ended up grasping desperately at sheets to stay on the small bed. Kenshin grasped Kaoru's arm right arm with his own and pulled her to safety on the bed, grimacing as pain ripped through his body once more. After setting her safely on the bed Kenshin let his hand slip from her arm. Only Kaoru noticed the goosebumps he left as his hand retreated. Chancing a glance at him she found his gaze lingering below her chin. She was flustered at his forwardness until she recalled the bruising. Her left hand tightened around the collar of her kimono.

"Yo, fox! What the hell!"

A quick slap from Megumi left Sano grasping the back of his head, red ribbon fluttering angrily through the air as he turned to her._ 'Maybe it's not too late to just leave,'_ Kaoru wondered, fisting her hands in the blanket anxiously. By now, most of the blood from the redhead's wound had been smudged into the blanket, long forgotten. Kenshin's eyes were still examining her.

"Way to go, rooster. Kenshin's sutures, which you knew were limited until we get back to Tokyo, are _breaking as we speak._" She continued on in an angry whisper. "It wasn't enough for you to make more work with your damn hand, but you want me to piece everybody back together!" Sano grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head with a shrug.

"Okay, not the best idea? But tossing Kaoru on the bed with him once she slumped in that chair? Maybe so!" Kenshin ticked in annoyance. The silence in the room spoke loudly that Kenshin, Kaoru, and Megumi- they were on the same page. Sano, clearly was not. "Sides, did ya see the magic between these two? I woulda told 'em to get a room but they already did-"

"Alright," Kaoru flushed immediately, the blanket that had been covering her lay discarded on the floor. "I should find some breakfast." Kaoru hopped onto the ground, tucking her hair nervously behind her ear as she sped past Sano. _'Don't look back. Don't look back. Don't look back. Don't look back. Don't look back.'_

'I'll come with you-" teeth grit, the doctor wrenched Sano forward by his ear. "And so will this one. He gets to grab our last few sutures and help me determine which one of Kenshin's wounds is most important to repair right now." Sano's squawked, batting his hands at the doctor as he was pulled towards the door frame. Everything felt normal again. As normal as things could get for this bunch.

"Can we talk after this, Kaoru...dono?" The -dono felt like an afterthought. Everyone noticed.

He hadn't meant to say anything. He truly hadn't. He didn't want to overwhelm her, but seeing her walk away made his heart beat faster and made it a little bit harder to breathe and maybe- just _maybe_\- he just wasn't ready to be without her just yet. Her flushed face nodding before leaving the room brought him peace he hadn't felt in weeks. Though, weeks felt like years lately.

Kaoru was Kenshin's soft spot. Easily. And the worst part of it all is, he could get used to waking up like that… with those adorable sleep-driven gestures and how comfortable she was in his arms. Literally in his arms. In his arms in bed with him. Megumi, Sano and Kaoru leaving to grab sutures was supposed to be a reprieve for him to help clear his head. The redhead quickly realized it wasn't distraction enough. He sighed once again as he tried to get as comfortable as his body would allow. His mouth twisted. Sighing was becoming yet another habit of his, it seemed.

While Kenshin had suppressed a lot of how he felt about Kaoru, it didn't mean he was an idiot. Kaoru was _beautiful_\- in both body and spirit. Breathtaking even. And he wasn't the only one who had noticed. Having accompanied her to other dojos, he was very familiar with the generous stares and attention the Kenjutsu princess gathered from other individuals who studied with her. Always causing a burn in his chest that he only now allowed himself to acknowledge as jealousy. And seeing the remnants of strange bruising flowering across her neck as if it belonged there...

_'Easy, Kenshin.'_ He exhaled, drumming the fingers in his dominant hand, focusing on the slight pain it brought as another attempt to calm down. While he wanted her to come with him to Kyoto, ask her about her bruises and so much more, he didn't want to pressure her into doing or saying anything that she didn't want to. He just wanted her to want him in her life. Wanted her. He was starting to think about how he wanted her. In all aspects. _'Shit.'_ Slamming his eyes shut did little to help his train of thought as his mind began to wander: wondering how else Kaoru might grow to want to greet him in the morning besides flicking his nose.

_'Thinking like a teenager- not helping.'_ He snorted before wincing, his hair catching on a loose wire sticking out from the bed frame. The redhead rarely ever had the chance to think like this, even when he was a teenager.

Megumi and the object of his affections returned through the open door, the latter's cheeks flushed and eyes averted from his, scanning the floor shyly._ 'Speak of the Devil.'_ Kenshin straightened his spine, a physical representation of his mental effort to strengthen his resolve. _'Just get on the same page for once, Shinta.'_ But as Megumi began to instruct him to remove his shirt, Kaoru stiffened, eyes jumping from the floor meeting Kenshin's as he began to pull his arm from his sleeve. Kenshin groaned internally. Maybe he and Kaoru were on the same page after all.

He was so _**screwed.**_

* * *

It took Saito twenty-six hours to give the order for the ship to leave the harbor. A few hours here and there to get the crew and salvageable items from the damaged ship to the harbor and onto the remaining ship. Many more to scour Enishi's hideout for weapons and to arrest the accomplices remaining on the island. And to search yet again, when Enishi disappeared off the side of his remaining steamship.

Yet when Saito made the decision to leave the island, it wasn't because Enishi was found. No, this decision was made from pure irritation and lack of sanity. Nails pierced through his gloves, clenched in frustration. _'Having this bunch together in their totality anywhere in the world is a trip to an asylum waiting to be scheduled,'_ he thought darkly, left eye twitching slightly as he observed their foolishness on the deck of his ship. The weasel and the boy were fighting once again, his bokken waving wildly as Sano stood in between them. A hand deadset on the middle of their faces kept them from being a danger to each other but hardly others. Patting his pants, he found his cigarette box flattened at the touch. Empty. He scowled. Though his supply was long gone, he still reeked of nicotine. No cigarettes also meant the buffoonery of the group was no longer ignorable and far less than tolerable. He scowled deepened. Tossing the empty box into the sea, he snatched his hat off his chair and turned to leave the deck, passing by the Kenshin-gumi and their insufferable energy.

"Shut the fuck up or swim back to Tokyo."

"HAH!" Yahiko snorted, pointing at the man who easily had a foot and a half of height on him. "Jokes on you! We're just headed back to the shore, not Tokyo, you dumbass!" To this Sano gwaffed, simultaneously spitting his tea where the Wolf of Mibu had been standing previously. Saito's eyes narrowed.

"Don't pay them any mind. They both really shouldn't be let out of the house." They could almost hear the fox ears popping out of Megumi's head.

The Kenshin-gumi turned to see the doctor, Kaoru and Kenshin, the latter of which being supported by Kaoru. Everyone near did an external scan of the swordsman, and even Saito found himself cringing internally at the extent of the man's injuries.

"I don't have time for this foolishness," Saito muttered, hands resting in his pockets. "Battousai, come to my office first thing tomorrow morning after we land. I'd like to minimize the amount of time I have to spend with this bunch, and you'll have the majority of the information that I need._ 'Kami, I need a smoke. I couldn't be paid enough to share air space with them,'_ Saito steamed mentally, hands grasping at the nothingness in his empty pockets.

"Right." Kenshin said uneasily, scratching his head with his uninjured arm. His weight shifted, and he excused the way his heart fluttered as Kaoru shifted with him. "About that." Saito threw a narrowed glare over his shoulder that promised pain and hellfire. _'After this case closes, I'm relocating.'_ The redhead's words also piqued the interest of the Kenshin-gumi. Kenshin smiled sheepishly as the rurouni often did. Kaoru toyed with the sleeves of her kimono nervously before grasping her fingers together, looking to Kenshin. Anxiousness reflected in her gaze.

"We're not going back to Tokyo."

* * *

A/N: Chapter 2 is done! I love writing that gives insight on Kenshin's thought about love, especially since we see his thoughts around the feeling so suppressed in the series. There's quite a few routes that I'm interested in addressing in this story. COMMA AND, I'm interested to know what you all are interested in getting out of some of these situations, especially knowing that Kenshin and Kaoru are headed out on this adventure! Help the creative juices flow with some reviews, reactions, things you hope to see and constructive feedback. See y'all again soon!


	3. Chapter 3: Kyoto, Part 1

Happy New Year! It's been a while everyone! Creating the Kyoto scene, I started with what I thought what would be one chapter and then with so much to understand, split into a few. On the bright side, I've got about three chapters ready to go after they're beta'd. This part of the story has been a joy to focus on as a writer, so I hope you'll enjoy! Author's notes at the bottom per usual! Reviews, alerts, favorites, and follows keep my energy going and help with the creative flow! Let me know you enjoy this story!

Clarifications on text is as follows:

"Conversation"

_'Thoughts'_

_Emphasized text_

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Still the same disclaimer as Chapter 1!

* * *

Coming Home to You

Chapter 3: Kyoto, Part 1

* * *

Kaoru didn't know what to expect on this trip.

She eyed the man to her right, trying to study him discreetly _'If I stare at him long enough, can I figure out what he's thinking?'_ She giggled at her absurd thoughts, unintentionally gathering his attention. He tilted his head as he gazed at her, puzzled, yet amused. She shook her head, attempting to shake away her own scrambled thoughts with the movement.

"I'm fine, I just..." Kaoru struggled to find the right words. "I just can't believe we're actually going to Kyoto! We're really doing this."

Kenshin cracked a smile. He'd missed her excitement so much in her absence. "I'm honestly surprised the others didn't put up more of a fight. None of them seemed happy that we left so suddenly."

The words were an understatement. Time felt blurred in the 24 hours since they had left their friends at the dock.

* * *

"Whadya mean you're not going back to Tokyo! We just got you back!" No one spoke as the brown boy's rant continued on and on. Underneath his anger battled confusion, desperation, and abandonment. Everyone in Kenshin-gumi could understand the feeling. _'We just got you back, Kaoru.'_

Kaoru didn't quite know how to stomach that feeling. Her hands opened and tightened, feeling out of place and responsible for so much emotional labor. Her eyes burned, overwhelmed at what she didn't know how to fix in a language the boy would understand. It's probably why her body moved before she'd completely thought the action through.

"Yahiko, stop yelling so loudly! We'll be fine, alright!?" Kaoru challenged, knuckles wracking across the boy's head, leaving a rather large bump. Tears streamed down her face. She still wasn't really sure why.

Yahiko rubbed the new wound aggressively, wanting nothing more than to mutter under his breath but wisely refraining in the moment before freezing. In the tension, nobody else moved.

A laugh interrupted the silence on deck, loud and full-bodied as Misao threw herself at Kaoru and enveloped her in a hug. Seizing the opportunity, Sano and Yahiko soon followed suit with a whoop.

"Jou-chan, it's been so long since you've snapped on us! Had me worried about ya for a second." Sano's voice echoed from somewhere above the heads of the Kenshin-gumi clump.

Confused as she was, Kaoru found her anger dissipating at the familiarity of the situation. The laughter, everyone's scents so close, the joking around and the hugs. Her family. It was easy to lean into the happiness, even as she felt eyes on her. Looking up, she saw Megumi glancing at the group, amusement on her face despite her ticked eyebrow. That wasn't it though, it lacked the intensity Kaoru felt cast upon her being.

Eyes drawn to the weary swordsman now leaning near the doorway, Kaoru settled her gaze on Kenshin. At this angle, the sun hit his eyes clearly, pupils shining like true amethyst on fire. Eyes she'd seen so haunted, now light, admiring the scene with such tenderness.

_'I want to see more of this Kenshin.'_

* * *

Since that moment, though, they hardly had any free time to spend with each other. Kenshin had an extensive check-up with Megumi that she shadowed, learning how to apply medical salve and dress his current wounds. _'Kenshin, what stopped your healing?'_ She'd held back her tears, realizing he'd been fighting with wounds from Enishi's Jinchuu in Tokyo almost a month earlier.

Otherwise, Kaoru felt shuffled between her friends who were eager to spend time with her. When he was present, the redhead had that same charmed look in his eye. Never intruding on the scene. Merely watching from the side or the bed Megumi had ordered him to occupy. "Move from that bed before I tell you to, and you'll have worse wounds to worry about," she'd uttered with a flip of her hair and a well-placed glare. Wisely, he'd listened. Yet, the Kenshin-gumi's interactions with Kaoru were all veiled with an edge of reservations, as if they were waiting for her to do something out of character once again.

_'Or disappear.'_ Her mouth twisted, brows furrowed in thought. She wondered, not for the first time, what Enishi had done while she was gone, especially for Kenshin to so publicly claim her as his most important person in the manner that he had on the island. She bit her lip in frustration. No one on the ship would tell her much of anything despite her subtle- and not so subtle- perusals. All she received were gentle apologies and rerouted conversations.

"Sorry, Jou-chan. Not my story to share, I don't think."

"I wasn't in Tokyo yet. Let me tell you how I was the first to help Himura get to the island!"

"I don't wanna think sad thoughts right now, ugly! But that guy I took down on the island, did ya see how huge he was!?"

Aoshi, an unlikely ally in her quest for answers, pointed her in a solid direction. "I came to Tokyo from Kyoto after everything was over." Arms crossed and back leaning on the railing of the ship, the sea breeze gently combed through his midnight blue hair. His head- bowed forward before- lifted as his eyes opened, watching Misao as she conversed animatedly with Sano and Yahiko. "If you're asking me this question, it means none of your friends have been willing to tell you. I'm sure by now you understand it's not my place to tell you, just as it's none of theirs."

She bit her bottom lip as she reminisced, both irked and in awe of Aoshi's allegiance to their friends' privacy. Seeing him as more of an ally rather than a friend, Shinomori Aoshi was a man she'd come to respect- even if his quiet and thoughtful tendencies were comparable to Kami himself. _'What a strange man indeed.'_ Despite this, his words hinted that she and a certain someone were clearly more than friends. She pouted, flustered that even the world's most somber man found time to poke not only at her lack of answers, but also her standing with Kenshin.

_'Kyoto will bring those answers.'_ She would accept nothing less. Not wanting to dwell on her own thoughts, she turned back to her traveling companion who was now eyeing her curiously in her silence before she placed a gentle hand on his left shoulder. _'Even now, he's so on edge.'_

She chose not to comment aloud on his tense shoulders, "I needed this." she said kindly with a gentle squeeze to his shoulder. '_I needed this time with you.'_ Kenshin's shoulders tensed further before he relaxed into the touch. Minute, but still noticeable. She'd tuck that away for later too.

He smiled widely in response, wrinkles emerging lightly around his eyes. For a moment, she was grateful for the moments in his life that'd given him enough joy for those wrinkles to develop, despite the trauma he'd faced. "Ah. It's been a while since it's been just the two of us hasn't it, Kaoru-dono?"

"Mmhmm!" she exclaimed, thinking of her first meeting with the redhead next to her. "You really let me just charge at you that night that we met! I could have gotten one of us hurt." Despite her chastising message, her head was thrown back in laughter in a way that Kenshin wanted so badly to openly admire.

"Ah, it's possible. I'm sure you would have put me immediately into the care of a doctor if I hadn't dodged." Pupils dilated, his amethyst eyes shined in mirth. His body was angled slightly towards her now

She stuck her tongue out at him in jest. "My father used to tell me the same thing." Her own eyes fell distant again, reminiscing fondly on the time before her father had passed. She missed him terribly. "Such a funny, funny man he was."

Looking up, she felt his eyes on her again. He'd been doing that a lot lately. Watching her in a way that she'd never seen him look at her before Jinchuu. She never really knew what to make of it. Smoothing out her kimono, her fingers drumming against her knee at the end of their journey against the smooth fabric.

"We've still got some time before we arrive. Let me tell you about how my father reacted after one of the neighborhood boys caught a shinai somewhere unpleasant while trying to sneak around the dojo one morning."

* * *

Arriving in Kyoto at sunset, the busy streets in the market place were alive and breathing with sounds, smells, and people. Shop owners trying to catch the interest of the dinner crowd. Police patrolling the street. Families with small children running around. The scent of the incense they'd bought to place at Tomoe's grave. Everything was as it should be for them this time of day- except their carriage. If Kenshin was a lesser person he would have cursed in public; lucky for him, Kaoru, a woman raised among men, didn't mind taking that responsibility.

"Kuso, Saito."

Kaoru scowled hands on her hips as she looked left then right down the street. "Should have known, with him in charge of our carriage, we'd end up with shoddy service." She sighed dejectedly, picking up the medicine cabinet Megumi had lent her for the trip from the ground in front of her. "I suppose we could stay at the Shirobeko," The bluenette pondered, hands clasped around the worn metal handle. Kenshin blinked, pretending not to notice the vision she made, sun setting almost perfectly behind her. _'Beautiful.'_ Tried and failed, it seemed. So preoccupied, he'd almost missed her next words, heart choking as he processed them.

"Sae would probably be happy to see us, right Kenshin? Maybe we could go there!"

The first name triggered memories of a woman with the same face, planning a funeral he didn't have the emotional capacity to attend. _'Coward.'_ His self-demeaning thoughts always sounded like his master. His hands clenched.

"I wouldn't want to bother her." His hand waved disarmingly in front of his person. "I'm sure they're busy this time of day. We could always stop by the Aoiya. I don't believe it's far from here."

Caught off guard by his verbal side-stepping of one of their favorite restaurants, she nodded quietly, following him through the streets, pointing out street signs and shops along the way.

He was right though; coming upon the Aoiya didn't take too long at all. The inn was in pretty good condition, considering there was still a crumbled wall from the battle with the Juppongatana a few months earlier. Kenshin said a silent prayer, thanking his master for protecting his precious people during his absence. _'Giving me a reason to make it home.'_ He glanced at Kaoru meaningfully from the corner of his eyes, her none the wiser. They walked through the front gate, spotting Okina talking animatedly with a customer. Upon seeing them, he excused himself politely. Wounds still healing from his battle with Aoshi, he welcomed them soundly with open arms and only a slight limp.

"Well, hello you two! It's good to see the both of you! Last I heard, you both were in quite a bind."

Kenshin stilled.

_'Of course a previous leader of the Oniwabanshu group would already know what happened in Tokyo.'_ He eyed the older man warily. _'All of what happened.'_ Kenshin could comprehend why he'd ask though, as the older man was probably wondering what danger they'd bring to the Aoiya this time.

"I'm glad Misao got my letter in time." Kaoru replied, smile warm. Right. She was the reason Aoshi and Misao came to Tokyo in the first place.

"Ah. You two seem whole again. More at peace than the news from Tokyo had carried," he prodded, creating yet another entry point for them to divulge information. Kenshin understood immediately. _'Trading information for a place to stay.'_ A tactic he'd learned during the war, and had continued to use during his time as a wanderer.

"News from Tokyo? What did you hear?" Feeling left out from something that felt so blindly in front of her, Kaoru's eyes flickered between the two men, waiting to be filled in.

The eye contact Okina made with Kenshin was brief, but told the man everything he needed to know; Kaoru was unaware of what had happened during her absence. Kaoru caught it all, a small spark of frustration catching in her chest.

The old man smiled and closed his eyes, the fire of a business man lit as they reopened. "Oh, just the ramblings of an elder. I'm sure you're not here just to say hello! Come- let me help you with what I do best nowadays. A room for the two of you, right?"

* * *

The two blinked.

Kenshin was cursing the man in his head. Kaoru could only consider the full weight of the singular futon that was haphazardly thrown her way in passing.

Standing in their guest room at the inn, they reflected heavily on Okina's words as he guided them to their room. "The new and improved Aoiya is booming! However, it's only partially rebuilt." Striking a pose and pointing at the two as he did so, the old man had continued. "Only one futon for you two, I'm afraid." The old man had tittered in glee at his plan, hands rubbing together- a clear sign of scheming. They could have sworn as he pranced away, he muttered about money Misao owed him after getting them together. Both of them sweatdropped, looking anywhere but the other.

The room itself was plain. On the smaller side. Tatami mat flooring. A large mirror near the far left corner of the room. Okina had assured them a view of his new garden laid just outside the shoji. The space was warm, though normal for this time of the summer. They studied the entirety of it far longer than necessary, delaying the inevitable. Both spoke at once.

"Kenshin, in Tokyo-"

"So sleeping arrangements-"

The redhead sighed. Audibly so. Kaoru really didn't do delaying the inevitable. He'd forgotten. Conscious of his body's wounds, Kenshin put his bag down by the door slowly. "You can take the futon," he offered.

The bluenette's jaw dropped, thoroughly distracted from her initial line of questioning. _'Wait- **what**.'_ "Kenshin, you have wounds that need care and healing! Uh-uh. No way. The futon is yours." Her arms, though full, were crossed in front of her. His sacrificial lamb attitude was beginning to become irksome.

"Maa maa, I've slept against the wall many-a-night in my life. I'll be fine." The swordsman had kneeled at this point, taking his time as he sorted through his bag. While he could hardly be called a coward, he also couldn't bring himself to face the fierce shihondai. Though, he'd much rather have this conversation than talk about Enishi's true Jinchuu. _'The doll.'_ He blinked away the water gathering in his eyes.

Kaoru threw her bag on the floor and dropped the medicine chest, grasping tightly at the futon. It flung wildly as her hands whipped through the air animatedly. "This makes no sense! You're recovering from months of injuries. I'm not. Therefore, you get the futon!"

"No." The bluenette huffed at his bluntness.

"I shouldn't have to explain this to you! If you're so worried about me, let's just share." The redhead froze. Flushing, Kaoru pulled at loose threads in the futon, continuing on despite his stillness. "Besides, it's not like we haven't shared a bed already."

Kenshin internally rolled his eyes, cursing Sano in his mind. He shifted through his sack more roughly, loudly now. "That wasn't even something that you consented to." Both of them grit their teeth.

"But I am now!" Kenshin shut his bag in irritation.

"Kaoru, I said _**no**_!"

The finality made her pause, her heart receding deeply into her chest. Her arms wrapped around her torso subconsciously, unfamiliar with the swordsman raising his voice at her. The second time in just a few days.

The warm room felt frozen over. _'Dammit.'_ Kenshin could kick himself. Whipping around, he watched just in time as Kaoru closed off from him. The hurt in her eyes remained as she kept her gaze on the ground. He reached for her.

"Kaoru-dono, I'm sorry. I just-"

"I'm gonna take some time by myself for a little while."

His hand shrank back towards his person. Kenshin said more, but she stopped listening. Grabbing a spare yukata, Kaoru stepped outside, presumably towards the bathhouse. The sound of the shutting shoji echoed through the silenced room.

Kenshin pulled his hair in frustration, wishing for something, anything, to throw. How could he have possibly ruined things so quickly? Pacing back and forth, he focused on his breathing, lungs screaming against everything good and holy, further escalating his condition.

_'You need to stay calm, Kenshin, otherwise you'll slow your healing process and put yourself at risk. Your heart can only take so much.'_ Megumi's advice echoed through his mind. "The heart can only take so much indeed," he muttered. Settling for being productive rather than calm, he took the futon Kaoru had discarded before she left and laid it in the center of the room, only choosing to bathe after smoothing out the blanket one too many times.

He still returned before Kaoru but barely. His wounds rubbed uncomfortably against the unfamiliar grey gi and white hakama he was given by the police on the boat. He tried not to think of how similar they were to those he wore in the Bakumatsu years ago. _'This city isn't good for me.'_ The shoji sliding open and shut interrupted his thoughts.

Kaoru didn't look at him, choosing to place her things near her bag by the door. She wore a white sleeping yukata, her hair loosely braided per usual. His heart ached at the familiarity. Grabbing the medicine cabinet, she made her way to the futon, uttering a near-silent thanks to the redhead for preparing it.

The rest of the night was silent, save for the sound of jars and the wooden chest opening and closing, salve being spread, and bandages being wrapped around his wounds with devotion. She didn't utter another word, merely sounds of affirmation and denial to his light inquiries.

As she made to close the final salve, he stopped her, taking a bit on his fingers. Reaching towards her, sadness colored his vision as she flinched. "I'm not going to hurt you, Kaoru-dono," he said quietly. Her gaze dropped. _'What happened on that island, Kaoru?'_ His chest burned with guilt as his mind conjured one horrid thought after the next. He attempted to blink those away.

After she nodded, he reached under her chin, massaging the cream gently into the lightly discolored skin of her neck. Dipping back into the jar, he repeated this process a few more times before closing the salve with his good arm.

"This should be good for the bruising. It's green now, so hopefully it's not causing you any pain." Eyes set on hers, amethyst watched ocean eyes water with tears that didn't spill. He examined her delicately having a bodily impulse to reach for her again, but she seemed so overwhelmed_._ Silently imploring her forgiveness and answers of her own, he hastened to his bag near the wall, haunted by the look in her eyes.

That tear-filled look was the opposite of anything he'd ever seen on Tomoe's even on the day she'd died. The day he'd killed her. The older woman often wore a dry look that offered no trust, rather a reluctant dependency of sorts. Devoid of true emotion. On the day of her death, she wore a a look of anguish, highlighted at the fact that she gave her beloved another chance at life. He didn't enjoy seeing either look on her face. Not aimed at him. Kaoru's look though, brought forth emotions equally as distressing. That fear was aimed at him. _'Does she blame me for what happened to her? What happened to her?'_

Knowing his eyes to be the window to his thoughts with this woman, he shut his eyes tightly, letting his bangs shadow his face.

"Good night, Kaoru-dono." Tone croaking and just a breath short of confident. There was a pause before her good night came, also quiet yet delayed, almost as if she'd considered saying nothing at all. His chest compressed, and he reminded himself to breathe evenly, forcing his lungs to match Kaoru's inhale and exhale as she drifted to sleep on the futon.

* * *

In his sleep, he felt a light weight being draped across his body. Ki spreading and sensing no threat in the room, cautiously, he allowed himself to settle in a lighter realm of sleep despite his body begging for rest. _'Old habits die hard, I suppose.'_ The weight against his left side and shoulder moments later was what jolted him awake. His hand twitched in its sling, aching for his sakabato. Eyes darting to his left, his vision was obscured by fluffy midnight blue bangs.

His heart stumbled.

Yet again, the redhead found himself unable to contain the joy at the care this woman continued to hold for him.

All of the emotional turmoil from the past year until this afternoon bubbled dangerously close to the surface, and a surprise chuckle caused him to gently throw his head back, studying the seams on the ceiling before lowering them once more to the woman next to him. He noticed the faded yellow blanket slipping off her person and wished for the freedom to use his dominant and restrained arm to fully cover her.

No matter the arm's length he had tried to keep Kaoru at, consciously or subconsciously, he failed miserably every time. She wouldn't let him. Every effort rendered futile. He wondered when he'd lost the ability to articulate what he desperately wanted to say. Now as she sat propped against the wall, feigning sleep as her body curled into his, he couldn't help but be grateful for her.

"I'm still mad at you, ya know." Her voice a pin drop in the quiet. He didn't dare move, desperate to hear her. "I don't want to be after all of what's happened. And yet here I am. Angry at you." A slight pause. A sigh. "You're hiding things from me again, Kenshin." She shifted against him, pulling the blanket closer to the both of them. "But it is colder in here now than earlier, and it's warmer next to you… and Okina only gave us one blanket so..."

The joy and hope her words brought constricted somewhere between his throat and his collarbone. He lowered the side of his head to rest atop of hers, allowing his body to sink against her own. Weighted with guilt.

"Before we leave Kyoto. I promise, Kaoru. Give me some time to find the courage to tell you."

* * *

When Kaoru awoke the next morning, Kenshin was gone. Bathing, she presumed. She found herself cocooned in the blanket, the edges tucked around her shoulders with care. She smiled despite herself, bringing the blanket to her nose and breathing in his scent as she inhaled. Audibly exhaled.

"I want today to be better. Today _will_ be better." She hoped she could believe it.

* * *

The morning was quiet, but not easy. Kaoru dressed Kenshin's wounds before agreeing to find flowers for Tomoe's grave after breakfast. Neither had much of an appetite. Conversation was short. All of it unsettled the redhead. _'It wasn't supposed to be like this.'_ he thought, glaring a hole in his hands from behind his bangs. His jaw tightened.

Mixed emotions radiated from Kaoru's ki. It made sense. She was unsatisfied with his answer, despite her wanting to be near him. He watched, as she navigated the market in front of him, hair void of the ribbon he was used to seeing. His scar uncovered and red hair out in the open, a clear path opened for them easily.

They continued through the market for a while longer before finding a simple bouquet of white plum blossoms. _'Fitting.'_ The redhead examined them carefully as Kaoru paid the vendor, half-smile plastered carefully across her face.

As they walked quietly through the marketplace, Kaoru initiated conversation. Finally.

"So we have flowers. Shall we go?"

Eager to respond, Kenshin froze mid-stride as he sensed two distinct chakra signatures nearby, puzzled to sense them in such close proximity to each other. Kaoru looked on in concern, hand stretched towards his left elbow curiously before withdrawing, remembering herself.

Confused at his discovery, his ki melted into the marketplace. Searching. _'Those two? Together here?'_ he pondered, glancing anxiously at Kaoru. _'What is going on?'_

* * *

Any takers on the unknown two together in Kyoto? Willing to hear any and all bets!

I'm not a huge fan of conflict so ending the chapter here with Kenshin and Kaoru not in an okay place, even though it left me with plenty of internal discord, feels like a good choice as a writer. I'm just finally happy to be writing about this place. Kenshin has a lot of unknowns in this city and even this part of the series and it's fun to play around with. Next chapter should be posted in about 4ish weeks. See y'all then! Looking for reviews of any kind- short and sweet, or long, lengthy and full of thoughts and questions. All of it (follows, alerts, and favorites too!) means the world to me!

-BABN


	4. Chapter 4: Kyoto, Part 2

Glad to be back and posting! not too much to say before this chapter starts beside the fact that it is unbetad so please excuse any mistakes! Enjoy and check out the author's note at the bottom of the page! :)

Clarifications on text is as follows:

"Conversation"

_'Thoughts'_

_Emphasized text_

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Still the same disclaimer as Chapter 1!

* * *

Coming Home to You

_Chapter 4: Kyoto, Part 2_

_'What were the odds?'_

The one day he chose to come down from his mountaintop to sell at the market, he runs into his baka-deshi and the girl he couldn't admit his feelings for. '_Kamiya, was it?'_ He smirked at his apprentice's thick-headedness. _'Sense me now, do ya boy?'_ Having raised the man, he was sure the redhead had sensed him the moment he stepped into the crowded city square. Hand resting on his sword, he sighed.

While Hiko Seijuro the 13th runs from nothing or no one, he also didn't want to have the conversation he knew he'd be having with his idiot apprentice. Being a recluse didn't mean that he never heard the news. An attack on a dojo in Tokyo that lead to the owner dying and the redhead with a cross-shaped scar who stayed there exiling himself, ready for death. Honestly, the boy had held shit luck since before he'd known him. His temples ached from the impending conversation. Yes, he knew exactly what the boy would want to talk about.

Cape billowing with the movement in the breeze, he turned his head to the right, eyes narrowed. The hand on his sword tightened. '_But first. Some business to take care of.'_

* * *

He found him standing at the end of dead end in a poorly lit alley, his white hair, an anomaly on a face so young. Pointedly noticeable despite the shadows. _'Time is kind to no one it seems,'_ he thought absently. Despite the terrible shape this man was in, he knew exactly the danger a lost soul with nothing to lose could present. His ki was shattered. Swirling in confusion. He was honestly surprised he hadn't sensed it sooner. _'More training once we reach the mountain again, Hiko.' _Letting the handle to his pottery cart fall, he effectively blocked both the man and himself in the alley, steeling himself. All sound outside the alley faded into nothingness.

"Why are you here, Yukishiro Enishi?"

The man in question kept his eyes on the journal in his grasp for a moment longer than even Hiko felt comfortable before responding to the question. "That man and that woman… this journal." The crinkled pages showed the book had been introduced to water; the tattered and yellowed pages, old age. He clutched at the leather tighter. "It's a lie. It has to be. My sister could have never loved him. She promised me." He muttered, tears barely restrained finding solace in his eyes. "It was a mission, and that's all."

The larger man's eyes softened.

"Do you truly believe one word of what you're saying at this point?" Hiko questioned slowly, towering over the man as he edged closer. Head down, Enishi lost no ground. The veins on Hiko's arms gripped as he crossed them under his chest. His body displayed a kind of cool at Enishi's words, but his eyes. His eyes held determination.

"You're lost, boy. Masquerading as a grown man and clinging to the only truth you've ever known. I'm sure the pieces are fucked up and frazzled now, and that's fine. But I want to know why you're here. Because I'm imagining you're here to drag him through your journey some more while you figure it all out." Even with his head hanging low, Hiko could see Enishi grit his teeth. His fingernails gnarling into the flesh of the leather journal threatened permanent damage to the binding. "Well?" Hiko challenged. "Am I wrong, boy?" Silence met his question in return.

Hiko glanced over his shoulder in the direction he'd felt Kenshin's ki, unafraid to take his gaze off the young man in front of him.

"I've never seen him once indulge in a matter that was solely focused on his own happiness. I've tried to beat it into him for years." '_The situations that boy drags me into are the reasons I drink.' _He chuckled. The mood sombered further in response. Head still facing away, he locked narrowed eyes with Enishi.

"Now that he's finally starting to understand, you must understand I can't let you interrupt this lesson of his."

He watched as the Yukishiro evaluated him, from his stature and his sword, to the boy's undoubted knowledge of the Hiten Mitsurugi style, evidenced by the wounds on the battle-torn male's body.

_'I can't get a read on him...' _Hand on his sword, Hiko sighed, ready to slide into a battoujutsu stance at any moment when the white haired male froze, face dropping with a quiver and rounded eyes.

Without a word he made to leave, walking past Hiko with slight saunter that reflected the wounds from earlier battles. If someone had told Hiko that the Yukishiro boy had seen his older sister in the alley with them that day, telling him that it was okay, to go home, Hiko would have guwaffed in their face. But Enishi never told a soul what he experienced that day as he made his way past the massive swordsman.

_'He hasn't had a chance to heal his mind either.' _If Hiko was a lesser man, he would have felt bad. _'Too bad I'm not.'_

"Enishi."

The white-haired man stopped in his tracks.

"My apprentice has a vow not to kill; I do not. You have some healing to do, just like he does. But your answers. You need to find those on your own time." The clicking of his sword pushed just slightly out of his sheath filled the alley, punctuating both the mood and the conversation. The sounds of the market and the outside world, which previously felt dimmed resurfaced once more, accompanied by the white haired man's softly fading footsteps echoing off the alley walls.

Met with silence, Hiko cracked a crooked smirk, arms crossed in front of him once again. '_That was easier than dealing with Kenshin as an eleven year-old on those laughing mushrooms.' _He continued to watch over his shoulder as Enishi stalked away into the morning Kyoto market streets, accepting the words Hiko offered.

Sheathing his sword and gathering his cart once again, Hiko let both his hair and cape whip the air behind him as he strolled in the opposite direction as the lost Yukishiro.

'_I can't imagine that baka went far.'_ Eyes peeled, he locked eyes with his apprentice through a flapping tent of one of the merchant booths. Closing the distance, Hiko's booming voice disrupted the tension he could feel from down the block.

"You'd think you two would have had enough of this damn town by now, eh?"

The two turned.

Kenshin studied the man in front of him, breathing a sigh of relief as completed his scan._ 'He seems to be healing well since he taught me the succession technique.'_ The redhead couldn't help but to be thrilled at that thought. Though Kenshin had vague memories of seeing his master as he was dragged back from the battle with Shishio months earlier, seeing him healthy and whole with his own eyes helped soothe his anxieties. He whispered a quick word of thanks to whatever Kami was listening that he hadn't taken another life.

"Master." Kenshin bowed to the man now directly in front of him.

"Hiko- hello! How did you find us?" Kaoru welcomed. Voice a little high, the woman had a glint in her eye. At the same exact moment, Kenshin remembered he and Kaoru weren't exactly on the best of terms.

"In the neighborhood, exposing the Kyoto citizens to great art. Scaring the neighborhood terrors away." His eyes locked meaningfully with Kenshin's. "A typical day down from the mountain."

"Well, we were just about to grab food. Come join us for breakfast at the Shirobeko, our treat, right Kenshin?" The barely detectable edge in her tone made it clear it wasn't a question he could say no to.

Kenshin's jaw slacked, eyes widened as Kaoru latched onto his shishou's arm as she lead him to where he knew the Shirobeko laid. It was the face of a man who knew he wouldn't win whatever fight the two were having. _'What a lively one you've chosen, baka-deshi.' _The larger man smirked at his own thoughts, observing the two amidst their feud.

"Well if my baka-deshi is paying, I'm fond of that place."

Kenshin's head dropped dramatically in defeat. _'I'm being punished. I must be.'_

* * *

They had been seated at a booth near the back of the restaurant. A light curtain draped at the edge of their booth remained open. Kaoru was seated across from him chatting amicably with Hiko next to her, with no words thrown his way. Though Kenshin found himself in this more than uncomfortable situation at the Shirobeko, he was still unsure of what Kaoru's goals were.

"Give me a minute with my idiot apprentice, would ya Kamiya?"

Words spoken out in the open, Kaoru's eyes narrowed. Kenshin paled. Warning bells sounded in his mind. _'That would make her even angrier.'_ "Master, I don't know that-"

"It seems my apprentice is being an idiot again, and I'd like to try talking some sense into him first before I have to knock it into him." Hiko cut him off, punctuating with a wink in Kaoru's direction.

Wide-eyed and shocked, yet pleased to find Hiko on her side, Kaoru stood. "I suppose I could find Sae." She considered, leaving the two men in the booth to themselves. Kenshin's heart stuttered.

"Kaoru-dono- wait-"

Hiko grabbed Kenshin's ponytail, effectively chaining him to the low table. Pain strummed through his body and amped his anxiety.

"Will you quit interrupting me!? If she sees Sae, she'll-"

"And she won't, you ungrateful brat."

At the same exact moment that Kaoru turned the corner, Kenshin spotted Sae, a wooden serving tray tucked into her chest. Doe-eyed as if she'd seen a ghost. _'I'm definitely being punished.' _He tucked away the fact that Hiko interrupted him once more. Waving calmly, he caught the young business woman's attention. "Sae-dono, it's been so long."

The woman made her way over to their booth, clearly dazed. Picking up on Kaoru's ki, Kenshin found her still very much so out of hearing distance. _'One of the few things that's going for me today.' _The redhead breathed a sigh of relief as Sae approached.

"Oh Kenshin, hello." She brought her serving tray to her chest as her face and tone crumpled in sadness. "I'm sorry for myself. I'm just a bit confused." She clutched her tray closer to her chest. "Tae told me what happened, and I thought I saw her just now- Kaoru-san- I mean..." She trailed off, glancing over her shoulder once more, before plastering on a gentle smile for the redhead. "At any rate, I'm so sorry for your loss, Kenshin. You two seemed good for each other. This must be impacting you terribly."

The man in question swallowed, never good at speaking about death and dying. "I know you might have heard that… well, Kaoru-dono, she…" He cleared his throat, mouth dry. His chest compressed as his mind recalled Sano and Megumi gently pulling the sword from Kaoru's body to move her from the dojo's wall. _'The doll's body.'_ His breath shuddered.

Hiko looked at his apprentice, his own hardened heart thawing as he saw not a master swordsman who had saved Japan many times with his sword, but the young boy who buried the bodies of slaves and the three women who lost their lives to protect him. A man who couldn't even bring himself to mention the Kamiya woman and death in the same sentence.

He steeled his own resolve, feeling sympathy for the boy.

"Kamiya Kaoru is alive and well. A gentle meal that puts some meat back on both their bones would be appreciated." Kenshin twisted uncomfortably in the too big gi he'd donned at the Aoiya this morning.

Turning to Hiko, Sae's face lit up with the news. "Alive? Oh, really? My sister will be overjoyed! Kaoru was like a sister to her. I'll bring some food this way shortly, I have got just the thing, handsome!"

Skip in her step, Sae left the table a woman on a mission. Kenshin chose to ignore the handsome comment, seeing it was directed at the man who both raised him and took joy at the mild life lessons he'd learned the hard way. Instead he bowed his head again. "Thank you, Shishou."

"Don't thank me. I saved your asses. Again today. Yours specifically for the umpteenth time. You're still paying."

Kenshin sweat dropped, the weight of his master's words almost knocking him from his seat.

Nevertheless, a warm smile crossed the smaller man's face as he eyed the man across from him who sipped sake so casually. _'Does he carry that with him?'_ An amethyst eye twitched, considering if it was even worth bringing up his master's alcoholic tendencies. He eyed the man's arm, thicker than his own head. _'Better not.'_

"You call her everything but her name."

Hiko's right eye cracked open. "Hmm?"

"Kaoru-dono. I've never heard you use her name before today." The corner of Hiko's mouth pulled upward, and the redhead couldn't help but feel as though he'd walked into a trap somehow.

"True." The larger man took another sip of his sake, eyes closing. "I was thinking that one day, I'd be able to call her the Himura woman outright, but you keep dragging your feet so damn slowly."

Kenshin's face burned. "MASTER-"

Hiko's eyes hardened. "Enough of this small talk. How'd you piss off the Miss?"

Kenshin's shoulders dropped as his face deadpanned, drumming his fingers on the table impatiently at being consistently infuriated and ignored by this man. "Straight to the point as always, I see."

The older man showed no sign of acknowledging his statement, a singular eyebrow still raised, waiting for his answer as he sipped from his cup once more.

Kenshin sighed. "Enishi's Jinchuu, she… she doesn't know what happened yet. _I_ haven't told her what happened yet."

"And what the hell are you waiting for?"

"I-" Kenshin grit his teeth, hand clenched as he looked down and away from the table. "I understand that she needs to know. All of this is my fault, but I was thinking I would tell her in the carriage on the way back to Tokyo. I thought I had more time."

"How do you expect to heal when you're making yourself an anxious mess trying to play Kami? The big man does that well enough on his own."

Kenshin looked away, teeth grit, knowing his Master was right yet still needing another push. _'His own happiness has never been a good enough reason. Let's try another angle then…'_ Hiko thought.

"You want to build a relationship with her, right?" The smaller man's head snapped back towards Hiko, remnants of a flush still on his face. Hesitantly Kenshin nodded, glancing sideways to check for Kaoru, even though he felt her ki near the front of the restaurant. "This isn't building with her. You out of all people should know that you can't hide from the bad things in the world. Stop hiding her from the truth."

Kenshin lowered his eyes to the table, feeling like an angsty teenager all over again.

Hiko sighed. "I'm truly hoping you're at an age where I don't need to beat every lesson into your thick skull." He punctuated by flicking the younger man's forehead. Kenshin flinched, rubbing his forehead as he pouted at his master. "Easier to talk about solutions than putting them into action, Master."

'_The audacity.'_ Hiko rolled his eyes, pouring himself another cup of sake. "Don't act like you're the only one with your fair share of troubles. That type of tunnel vision isn't like you. Think about things this way: What are you going to do when the people of Tokyo see her?"

"And why might we be worried about what the people of Tokyo think when they see me?" The tone left both swordsmen wondering how the way words sounded could make one feel so incriminated. "We are talking about me, correct?" Kenshin glared at Hiko, knowing damn well the 13th Master of the Hiten Mitsurugi style could sense Kamiya Kaoru close to their table once again.

"Surely you wouldn't continue to hide things from me, _right Kenshin_?"

Hiko stood. "Well, this seems like a matter that the two of you need to settle on your own. I'll be taking my leave."

Her eye twitched as she smiled sweetly. Too sweetly. "Now Hiko, you're one half of this secret conversation too, you bastard! I thought we were on the same team!" Even in her anger, Kenshin had missed that fire in her eyes.

Laughing, Hiko Seijuro the 13th secured his cape around his neck before grabbing the handle to his pottery cart.

"I've always liked you, Kamiya." He turned to his apprentice, eyes serious now. Kenshin felt his back straighten out of habit. He flinched, both at his wounds and the look in his master's eyes. "Don't be a dumbass and keep her waiting forever." His sentence punctuated by a nod in Kaoru's direction. _'Tell her the depths of your feelings, you idiot.'_

Kaoru sputtered, thinking Hiko was referring to what happened in her absence. Kenshin, however, understood completely. Face red, Kenshin bowed, pressing his forehead on the tatami mat both out of respect and hiding his flush. "Yes, Master."

Kaoru calmed, externally at the influence Hiko had over Kenshin, internally grateful at the indication of answers. '_Finally…' _her thoughts were interrupted, however, as a downward stroke of the hilt of the sword on Hiko's belt connected directly with the top of the swordsman's head. Hand flying to the wound, he recoiled, entire body overwhelmed in pain at the sudden movement. Despite this, he leaned in aggressively, eyes challenging Hiko.

"SHISHOU, WHY-"

"Don't say it to me- say it to her, baka-deshi!" The taller man leaned forward as well, getting just as much into Kenshin's face as the redhead did. Despite her embarrassment, Kaoru rushed in the thick of the tension between the two men, placing a firm hand on both their chests. _"Cut it out, you two."_ The whisper came out as a growl, with just enough bite to make the men reconsider causing a scene.

With nothing else to say, Hiko shifted to leave, walking away muttering about his idiot apprentice's hopelessness. Adding insult to injury, his cape flicked Kenshin in the face, leaving him sputtering in the larger man's shadow as he brushed past the curtain at the booth's entrance.

'_An ungrateful one, my boy turned out to be.' _The smirk on his face, though, betrayed his satisfaction at the redhead's small steps to happiness.

Despite cursing the larger man, Kenshin still held gratitude for the man who'd raised him. '_Thank you, Shishou.'_ He turned to Kaoru, gesturing to the cushion on the floor before he spoke. "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. It's time we talk about Tokyo, it seems, Kaoru-dono."

* * *

Kaoru sat up straight, staring at him attentively. She noted his paling color as the mood sombered and wondered just what he had to say. For the first time, in her quest for answers, she hesitated. "Kenshin, are you-"

"It's alright." He gave a tired smile. She studied the way his shoulders dragged. "You've been right to believe I've been putting this conversation off. It was the worst experience of my life, if I'm being honest, and I..." His eyes reflected a quiet surrender, and she couldn't help but feel heavy remorse continuing to bud in her chest. "But it's not fair to you, and it's better you know before we return to Tokyo."

He paused closing his eyes to breath, as the memories came flooding back. The smell of blood and white plum. Her lifeless eyes. The cross shaped scar. He hadn't realized he was touching his face until Kaoru's hand was pulling his own away from own scar. _'His eyes look like a child's. So lost.' _She took the cloth from the table and dabbed at his face quietly.

"You're crying." She whispered delicately. Her eye contact gave him strength he didn't realize he needed. He eyed her tenderly in return, grateful for her care_. _Kaoru quieted her thoughts and lowered her hand and the cloth back to the table as he began.

"Enishi's Jinchuu. His true Jinchuu… was your death."

Kaoru's head tilted, deeply confused on what he could mean. "But Kenshin, you all came for me on the island, you couldn't possibly have thought me dead if you knew where I was."

He nodded, swallowing thickly. "Aoshi played a big part in that discovery, along with Saitou and Cho." He took a deep breath before continuing. "Gein the puppeteer constructed a doll. A doll of you so convincing, Megumi and Dr. Gensai thought it was real. Thought it was you. Made of real human skin and blood. Hair just like yours." He eyed her hair from bangs to ponytail reverently. "She- _it_ looked _exactly_ like you, Kaoru-dono. And the scar…. Enishi left this scar," his hand reached for his own again, trying hard not to hide behind the shadow of his bangs. This woman was his safety. His home. There was no need to hide from her. It was the last thing he wanted, especially with the exhaustion laying so heavily on his shoulders. Pushing through, he continued. "He left this scar on your cheek, and his sword through your heart. Waiting for me to find you in the dojo. We- they buried you…"

Tears threatening to spill, Kaoru stared at Kenshin doe-eyed.

"So you're saying everyone thinks that I'm dead? Everyone? You did?" Her voice cracked. "Oh Kenshin, I…" Hand covering her mouth, she looked away, berating herself for her childish behavior the last few days. _'His wounds not healing, his exhaustion this entire trip, his hesitation to even mention Jinchuu. Of course, it had to be hard for him. Baka, you're so selfish.'_ Her left hand reached for his. He accepted it gratefully.

"Jinchuu broke me. Thoroughly... I'd thought that having traveled for ten years attempting to atone for my past sins would be enough. But to lose you, a vibrant, caring, and beautiful life… My most important person, because of my mistakes." Tears streamed freely down his face now, amethyst eyes locked on her own. And for the first time, Kaoru felt his true unyielding and unreserved emotion, not hidden by bangs or shadowed, or hidden from her line of sight. She clasped his hand tighter as her own shook. "I wanted nothing more than to let death find me, spending eternity begging you for forgiveness I'm still not sure I deserve. I… ran to Rakinumura and stayed there for weeks. I couldn't stay. Not for your funeral. Not that."

Her shoulders rippled as she gasped for air, overwhelmed with the full weight of his sorrow. Nearly falling, Kaoru couldn't scramble to him quick enough, taking care to keep her grip on his hand as she kneeled at his left side. Her right arm gathered around his shoulder, and he leaned into her fully. His head turned into her shoulder as he sobbed quietly, shoulders shuddering. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Kaoru-dono. I honestly am," he choked out. "It was just too much to lose you, Kaoru. It's still too much."

Neither noticed as Sae silently set their meal on a tray just inside their booth and pulled the curtain closed, protecting their moment from prying eyes.

She placed her lips on his hair then and swayed gently, rocking him from side to side as she rubbed his back. In her head, she prepared a thousand different words she could say to help him center. Wanting desperately to help center him. But in the moment, all she could do was place a tender kiss against his temple, murmuring encouragement and validation to her most important person.

_"There's nothing to forgive."_

_"You didn't deserve this."_

_"I'm here now."_

_"It's all okay, Kenshin."_

Over and over again, she whispered into his hair, hoping he could feel the care in her every word.

Their food was lukewarm the many minutes later when she pulled away, wiping quickly at her own tears before he could see them. Her voice was still shaky as she spoke again.

"Thank you for telling me Kenshin. I shouldn't have pushed you. I- I had no idea. I knew it was something cruel, but I couldn't have imagined." She struggled to make eye contact with him, the shame creeping in even more as he smiled.

"Ah. I'm grateful Aoishi figured things out. Otherwise, our lives would look quite different." She smiled at him gently, eyes welling with tears she tried not to let fall this time. Though it'd been hours since, he felt as if he hadn't seen her smile in so long. His heart could burst at the sight.

Affection softened his gaze and she flushed, feeling closer to him now more than ever. _'I don't know how to handle being the focus of such a tender hearted look.' _Seeing the tray of food- miso with fish and rice, she pulled it close to her, passing Kenshin a bowl. "We should put some food on our stomachs. It's been a long morning."

His hand grazed hers as he accepted it, and her being warmed. Jerking at the touch, she turned away, grabbing the large bowl of rice. She missed the way Kenshin's eyes softened further as he examined her. _'This woman is a blessing in my life, Kami-sama.'_

They ate slowly, Kenshin especially, as his stomach was still recovering from his period of starvation at Rakinumura. Together, they shared happier, funnier stories from their childhoods. Kaoru shared how she'd tried to hide wandering into a bush of poison ivy from her father. In return, Kenshin shared how he'd stumbled upon laughing mushrooms, and eventually told the embarrassing story of how he'd wet the bed when he was eleven.

Laughing to the point of tears, Kaoru brought a hand to her mouth in a failed attempt to hide her mirth. "Why wouldn't you just go to the bathroom, Kenshin? It's the only option that actually made sense!"

Kenshin shook his head, chuckling at his younger self. "Young, drunk Kenshin had a bit too much pride to prove Hiko right once again, I suppose."

"Everything going well here?" Sae peeked her head in past the curtain knowingly, eyeing the mostly empty dishes with delight.

"Mmhmm! Thank you, Sae, the food was delicious." Kenshin nodded in agreement.

"Good, because it's on the house for you two." She raised her hand as they poised to contest. "Now you two listen here. I know y'all have been through quite a bit lately. Life really ain't fair sometimes. Let me do this one good deed for y'all in return. I'm not taking no for an answer, so I better not see any money left on that table, you hear me?"

They both smiled warmly, too emotionally exhausted to argue with the woman. "Thank you." Kaoru's eyes portrayed her gratitude as she spoke.

"Don't mention it!" Sae leaned in closer to whisper, "Really don't mention it. Can't have the customers hearing things are on the house." With a wink, Sae left the two of them to themselves.

Conscious of his wounds, Kenshin carefully made to stand. Turning to Kaoru beaming, the redhead looked like a man renewed. Her hands twitched as she observed him, rubbing them together anxiously. _'Did I pressure him into sharing?'_ If he noticed her anxiety, he didn't mention it. He seemed healthier in fact. Freer. His eyes crinkled as he asked his question, internally acknowledging the strength and peace the woman in front of him brought to his spirit.

"Shall we go see Tomoe then?"

* * *

A/N: Something that I enjoy about Kenshin's character is that he could never gaslight anyone. During the scene at the Shirobeko when Kenshin was telling Kaoru about Jinchuu, I had half a mind to add the words, "and with you upset with me, I was worried you wouldn't forgive me either." Which on one hand, I could imagine Kenshin saying because he cares so deeply about what Kaoru thinks. However, I don't think he would tell her that in the peak of his sorrow because he can see she already feels so guilty, he would feel almost as if he was manipulating her. It's likely a discussion that will come up later in the story, but not while they're both still so raw.

Some of the reviewers have mentioned how this story reminds them of old RK and please know that makes my heart glow! I grew up reading gems like Silver Cross and loved the energy that it invoked to hear that my writing has an ability to do that for some brings me joy. Others of you have talked about the Kenshin that I've made is a bit more carnal and vulnerable and I would 100% agree with you all. At this point in the story, I imagine Kenshin doesn't have the energy to feign obliviousness about his feelings towards Kaoru, and with all of the trauma surrounding her disappearance and his own aloofness, I think he'd want to be close to Kaoru for reasons he hasn't built up the courage to articulate, which we see here in this chapter. Like, do we remember how much it takes to get him to open up about trauma? Sheeeesh.

Kyoto arc will be coming to a close soon. And then? I certainly hope you'll keep reading to find out! Please leave reviews favorites and follows! Your reviews give me great ideas and angles to think about!


	5. Chapter 5: Kyoto, Part 3

Things have been wild since the last time I posted for this story. I hope everyone is doing alright and finding ways to be supportive to each other as many are staying in due to coronavirus. Please stay safe and distance socially for all of our safety. I'm hoping the shut in orders will mean more frequent updates because the world deserves art and artists, particularly now. That being said here is chapter 5! Author's notes at the bottom- please enjoy and review!

Clarifications on text is as follows:

"Conversation"

_'Thoughts'_

_Emphasized text_

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Still the same disclaimer as Chapter 1!

Warning: character death in this chapter

* * *

Coming Home to You

Chapter 5: Kyoto, Part 3

"Hi there, you sell futons, don't you?"

After a peaceful visit to pay respects to Tomoe, the polite ask in a voice so familiar caught him off guard. Nearby crows fluttered away, cawing at his sudden shifting.

Kenshin and Kaoru hadn't said much since they'd left the cemetery. They hadn't needed to. Reconciling with the bluenette before visiting Tomoe felt like multiple steps towards healing emotionally, and Kenshin was happier because of it. After visiting Tomoe, they'd wandered through the city and bought last minute tickets to a play then stopped by the local shrine and the river bank. Their walk through the market was the only thing keeping them from getting back to the Aoiya.

Feeling her hand slip from his own, he found Kaoru speaking to a street vendor who sold futons, among other things. Reaching out for her with his left hand, he pulled on her kimono sleeve softly. "That won't be necessary, Kaoru-dono."

Amidst her light questioning, he nodded at the vendor, rurouni smile plastered on his face as he thanked the man for his time. Holding her right wrist in his left hand, he guided Kaoru away gently. He kept an eye on the booths, dancing around individuals in the crowded market while looking out for anything they might need before returning to the Aoiya. A hint of blue caught his peripheral.

Kaoru's left eye twitched. Not only had she still been speaking during the entirety of their trek away from that vendor, but she was very certain Kenshin hadn't heard a single word she'd said. Tick growing on her forehead, she watched as he chatted with a different vendor. An item that she'd missed was packaged during the exchange. As Kenshin ended the conversation, new item in hand, his contentment caused him to miss what was right in front of him- an arm rearing back as if it had a mind of its own. He sensed the irritation a bit too late.

"Kaoru-dono, I-ORO!?"

"Did you hear a single thing I said? Why did you drag me away like that?"

Kenshin rubbed the back of his head, wincing as he linked eyes with Kaoru. An angry Kaoru. _'Oh no...'_ "Well, yes, but Kaoru-dono, I-"

"No buts! You are not sleeping on the floor again no matter what the hell-"

"We don't need an extra futon if we're sharing."

The phrase was spoken just a hint above a whisper in order to avoid the ears of nosy passerbyers. Mentally, it leveled any thought Kaoru could conjure. Her face flamed beet red, matched only by the tips of her ears. If he wasn't absolutely sure Kaoru would hit him again, he would have chuckled at the portrait she made. _'What have I done to deserve this woman who cares for me so fiercely?'_

"What? We are?"

His eyes crinkled with amusement as he smiled, nodding handing her the item he'd just purchased. "This is for you. I missed seeing a ribbon in your hair. Blue is your favourite, isn't it?"

It felt like this man always seemed to be thinking of her. Her eyes softened at the notion. "I… yes." She twisted the package in her grasp slowly. "Thank you, Kenshin." The bluenette suddenly felt weighted with anxiety and guilt as she was at the Shirobeko. "I'm always hitting you for something that always turns out to be a misunderstanding…"

"Perhaps… but you always do so with the best intentions." His eyes shone charmingly so as a gentle hand at her back began to guide her back in the direction of the Aoiya.

She threw her head back, laughing heartily at his words. "Do I though?" Her laugh fluttered through her question.

Kenshin shifted his gaze to the road in front of him, only glancing long enough for a quick wink in her direction. Kaoru erupted into cackles.

* * *

"Hello, you two! It seems you have a message here!"

Okina flagged them down quickly after they arrived back at the Aoiya, eyebrows wiggling as he waved the letter in front of him. "It's from the Kyoto police department." Bouncing lightly on the tips of his toes, he passed off the paper into the bluenette's outstretched hand. _'He's got so much energy today…'_ The younger two sweatdropped at the older man briefly before focusing their attention.

Kenshin peered over her shoulder as she unfolded the letter. Though he wasn't touching her, Kaoru could feel his body heat warming her back on the chillier evening. She cleared her throat, trying not to think about the feeling. _'This is fine. I'm fine.'_ The paper crinkled in her hands as she gripped it much tighter than necessary. Settling her eyes to the words and ignoring both men, she began to read quietly to herself.

"Hmm, so there's a matter in the Hokkaido mountains that the police force went to investigate. Our carriage was rerouted to help with transportation efforts."

Standing so close to Kaoru, Kenshin's words whisped past her ear. The bluenette nearly jumped out of her skin. Face beat red, she looked away from the letter to see Okina glancing between the two knowingly._ 'Get some space so you can focus, tanuki!'_ She stepped away to face Kenshin as calmly as she could with her frazzled mind. Turning to him slowly, she pressed the letter into his chest with an almost steady hand.

"Maybe you should read the rest out loud to us, Kenshin?" His head quirked adorably to the side and suddenly just looking at him made her flustered. She dropped her gaze to the ground shyly.

Noting her withdrawal, he gazed at her a moment with uncertainty, eyebrows furrowed, before nodding slowly._ 'Earlier must have made her uncomfortable. Or maybe the gift...'_ Her fingers brushed his as he accepted the note, and she pulled back almost immediately. He stored that away mentally too before picking up where he left off.

"With this letter, you'll find two train tickets to get you back to Tokyo. Apologies on the delay of our services and good luck with the rest of your travels back to Tokyo."

Reaching into his gi once again, Okina pulled out the two tickets, handing them to Kaoru. She scanned them quickly. "It looks like these are scheduled for late tomorrow morning."

"Well, it seems we'll have to make the most of the time that you're here," Okina started with a laugh. "Though it seems the two of you might already be doing just that. You two seem closer since last night. And Kaoru, are you glowing? What a time you two must have ha—"

A fist caught just under Okina's chin, knocking him to the ground as he gazed at the sky swirly-eyed.

"Pervy old man…" Kaoru grumbled as she stalked away to their room, hands clenched. Kenshin lowly murmured a quick thanks to Okina for delivering the letter before lifting a leg carefully. Stepping over the man's body, he followed Kaoru inside.

* * *

Any fire she might have held extinguished as they approached their room. She didn't mean to pause in front of the shoji. Kenshin, however, continued forward. He slid the door open with his left hand.

"Okaerinasai." He smiled warmly as he gestured, inviting the now quiet woman inside. Kaoru trudged in, silently lost in her thoughts. The redhead tried again. "Is everything alright, Kaoru-dono?"

She ignored him unintentionally. "Here, let me check your wounds," she murmured, grabbing the chest near the door and carrying it over to the futon. Her hands shook as she rummaged through the chest, dropping items he knew a swordswoman with her level of experience should have a more careful grasp upon.

He reached towards her, hovering, before settling his hand over hers.

"What's wrong?"

Gnawing her lip, she stared at their overlapped hands. She couldn't help but notice the peace it brought as his thumb stroked the top of her own hand gently. "Nothing, it's just-" she shook her head, braid whipping with the action. A few threads came loose, causing her to appear just as frantic as he believed she felt internally. She sighed before meeting his gaze again with a tired smile "Nothing."

He raised an eyebrow out of concern. "Kaoru."

"Well- It's just… we're sharing a bed together, and Okina keeps insinuating… things! And I swear this futon isn't even big enough for two people. Like, is it shrinking?" she wailed, gesturing to the futon they were sitting on.

He smiled ruefully at the irony of the situation, closing his now empty palm. "Oh, I assure you, it hasn't changed, Kaoru-dono." She scowled at him openly.

"I hear your tone, Himura Kenshin," she warned. "I don't regret insisting we share." His eyes softened a bit. Kaoru, too preoccupied with applying salve to his shoulder, didn't notice. "I just… I feel like I'm waiting for you to change your mind or something. It's silly though. I shouldn't be this nervous over a futon, right?"

"I was."

"What?" She paused, confused at his words.

"I was nervous too. Between knowing my body actually needs to be resting and not in a state of alert, this not exactly being the most appropriate sleeping situation to be in with you, and the fact that it's you, Kaoru, I… I'm nervous. But being near you, especially right now, it's peaceful, and I'm honestly too tired to fight how much I want that peace right now." Her eyes widened at the admission. He leaned in closer, voice just above a whisper now as he sighed.

"Letting myself be okay with that though is hard right now. The last ten years of my life combined with the overwhelming emotions of Jinchuu after these last few weeks. Not to mention the politics of what's considered proper." Kaoru's face burned, bashfully covering her cheeks with her hands. Kenshin flushed lightly, left hand waving in front of his person rapidly.

"Of course, noting that I'll be nothing but an appropriate gentleman while platonically sharing this futon with you, Kaoru-dono!"

"Oh, I know you will." She muttered, left eyebrow ticked, cracking her knuckles in the process. Her face still flushed in response. He chuckled uneasily, glancing at the futon they'd be sharing later that night before finding her eyes once again.

The redhead ran his uninjured arm through his hair, a shaky sigh escaping him. He smiled sheepishly at her. The softness of Kenshin and his emotions never failed to bring warmth to her chest. "But ultimately, I'm terrified of what my being close to you means for you and the life you've worked so hard to protect. It's a lot of why I insisted not to share with you."

"Oh." Kaoru gathered her legs into her chest, toes drumming against the white sheet of the futon. _'I wish the world hadn't been so cruel to him.'_ Her body slouched over her legs as she settled her head on her knees, processing his words. "That's a terrifyingly complex mess to be dealing with. And definitely not selfish, Kenshin." Her head tilted, evaluating him further. "You know before, I honestly thought you just didn't like to be touched." Mouth scrunched, her teeth tugged at her bottom lip as she gathered her thoughts. Eyes following the movement, he shifted uncomfortably in fear that the kenjutsu princess might have realized he'd been still a little too long. Staring a little too long. "But I think that you might actually really enjoy physical touch."

Before he could help himself, Kenshin brows raised ever so slightly in a manner that made her toes scrunch against the worn yellow blanket on the futon. Her face flamed as she realized what had left her mouth. "Not in that way, you hentai!" She restrained the urge to throw something at him, keeping his injuries in mind. _'Speaking of.'_ She glanced down and reached for the bandages near her person, leaning in to wrap his wounds carefully.

"I mean, a hand on your shoulder. Or cheek. Or holding my hand." She smiled shyly at the memory of him holding her hand today after leaving the cemetery. "I think you enjoy that intimacy, but you shy away from it sometimes." Her movements became smaller in wake of his silence. 'If she had curled into herself any further, she might turn into a grape.' He dropped his head, allowing himself a second of mirth before he chose his next words. Carefully so.

"My young past wasn't easy, Kaoru. And losing my most important people twice, I… it feels like I've got a magic touch of sorts, wouldn't you say?" Though he smiled, sadness colored his eyes.

Eyeing the "X" on his cheek, her shoulders fell._ 'The reminder of what he's lost. For both me and Tomoe.'_ She had the strongest urge to reach towards him and to stroke his cheek, to take just a little bit of that burden away from him. She almost followed through on that thought. "Hey. Be kinder to yourself. You didn't lose me, Kenshin."

"Ah. My mind tells me that's true, but my memory isn't as lenient to agree." The corners of his mouth pulled in such a beautifully cruel way.

_'You deserve life to have been so much kinder to you, Kenshin.'_ "I'd like to hear about it sometime."

"Hmm?" His head tilted reminiscent of a confused puppy. She couldn't help but giggle as she shifted to her knees, prepared to put his medical salve and bandages away in Megumi's medicine chest.

"You." She pointed at his person, an action he mimicked in surprise. "Yes, you. Young Kenshin."

"Ah. Shinta." His fingers drew to his chin as his face twisted in mock thought, before his amusement shone through, lighting a gentle warmth in his eyes. "I suppose we can one day soon." Kaoru smiled. "But first, we should get some rest." Her eye twitched.

"Baka, not this again! You're stalling, Himura Kenshin!"

He chuckled, hand raised in front of him in an effort to placate the steaming swordswoman. "Maa, maa, We have time. Our conversation earlier was needed, but draining as well. With our travels to come tomorrow, we'll want to be well-rested."

Kaoru relaxed yet eyed the futon uneasily. _'Is it actually big enough for two people?'_ "So nothing else you'd like to talk through with me some more tonight?" Eyes filled with amusement, the redhead smiled knowingly as he crawled into the futon carefully, still facing her.

"Not a thing." Kaoru's face fell. Kenshin was quiet for a while longer until-

"Tomorrow though, I'm hoping I'll have made more sense of things if you'd be alright to talk things through things on the train. Maybe your time on the island too?" _'I want to know if you're okay too, Kaoru.'_ She could never say no to him, not with his eyes so focused and bright. Focused only on her.

A shaky breath came and went.

"Okay…" Slowly, Kaoru joined Kenshin in the futon. Both shifted to lie on their backs. The buzz of the cicadas lulled through the room, leaving Kaoru restless.

"Are you always this hot?" The words jumped out of her mouth before she could stop them. Eyes jamming shut, her shoulders stiffened. _'Oh, Kami-Sama, take me now!'_

"Oro?"

"I- I mean, your body heat. It's just, you're so warm and I was wondering… Oh, never mind." She'd never been so thankful to be in a dark room. _'Way to go, you idiot.'_

The room fell quiet again for another length of time before-

"I-uhh… I move in my sleep sometimes, so I'm sorry if I hit you." She had flipped to face him this time, but a hand on her shoulder nearly made her jump from the futon.

* * *

His mind was dizzy.

Having Kaoru so close was impactful in more ways than he could expect. _'Much different than just waking up next to her like that morning on the ship.'_ Not only did she seem more nervous than he did, but every time she tossed and turned his nose was assaulted by the intoxicating smell of jasmine. _'Kami, she smells wonderful.'_

In an effort to preserve his own sanity, he reached out his hand.

"Relax, Kaoru-dono." He held in a chuckle as she almost jumped out of the futon at the gesture.

"Sorry, I… you're right." She shifted one last time, now laying on her side facing Kenshin. Her curious gaze made him feel vulnerable.

"Are you alright?"

The question took him back a bit. Seeing him stare at her blankly, Kaoru continued.

"Today was a lot for us. Between Shirobeko and whatever Hiko was dealing with before he found us. I was getting a bad vibe from the direction he came from when he found us and just know something happened." Kenshin grip on the blanket loosened. _'Could she have sensed Enishi?'_

"From where he walked to us from?" He encouraged her to continue.

"Yeah, Hiko might seem like a tough guy. But he's a softy at heart. Why else would he always be looking out for you in his own assholish way after all these years? Or the way he nurtured Fuji into battling on his own months ago? He's really a sweet guy at heart, so I bet he was out there helping somebody again." Kenshin eyebrow twitched. "Again, sweet guy, if we're forgetting the asshole part," she corrected with a shrug.

Kenshin bit back a laugh as he made himself comfortable next to Kaoru once more "Well, he did say he was keeping away the neighborhood terrors. So maybe you're right in a way, Kaoru."

* * *

Sleep came easy after those words. Easier for both of them. Between reliving the experience of Kaoru's death- at the Shirobeko- _'Her fake death,'_ a small voice in his head noted- and the physical toll the trek across the city had on his still-recovering body, the redhead was exhausted.

It's why he was so disappointed to be awoken much later by the feeling of the blanket being ripped off of him. His body reacted immediately, right arm reaching out for his sakabato to fend off any potential threats.

Curled into a defensive position a few feet from the futon, he scanned the room to find no one but Kaoru staring empty eyed into the space in front of her. Scrambling out of bed the bluenette ran outside and vomited, barely missing the floors of the engawa near their room. _'What..?'_

Alarmed he followed her outside rubbing her back until he was stopped by an outstretched arm. "Please give me a second, Kenshin."

"Kaoru-dono, let me help you."

She dry heaved a moment, her arm wavering as her body shook with the movement. "I'll be inside in no longer than five minutes, Kenshin. Let me handle this?" The hand on rubbing her back maintained its soothing motion. Another wave of nausea hit. "Please, Kenshin. If you set aside some water for me, I promise, I'll be right there."

He studied her silently before nodding shortly. "If you're sure." His feet dragged as he grabbed Kaoru's bag and made his way back to the futon inside, opting to throw the blanket over his legs lazily. He pretended not to hear her gagging outside, instead absentmindedly twisting her flask of water in his hand, and mentally running through some simple kata. Minutes later, the shoji shut and Kaoru rejoined him on the futon. Her chin rested on her knees, clutched close to her person. She stared blankly at a spot somewhere in front of her. "I'm sorry that I woke you. You weren't supposed to see me like this." Warning bells rang in his head.

"What do you mean, Kaoru? Are you sick? Do you need medicine?" No answer. He tried again.

"What's wrong? I know you're not okay, Kaoru."

"But I'm supposed to be okay!" Her voice filled with emotion that could only be released as an anguished whisper. "Everyone keeps telling me I need to be strong for you, and I'm here with you where I want to be. And I'm trying really, but- Oh Kami, you weren't supposed to see me like this."

Kenshin frowned at that, wondering what else the rest of their friends had been telling her. He was genuinely surprised to find her so upset in the middle of the night. _'What did I miss?'_

"Kaoru, if anything, I appreciate how honest you always are with me. What's going on?"

She shooed him away with her hand pushing his body away. "It's okay, I can be a big girl about this, Kenshin, really. Please leave me alone."

"Kaoru, you woke up in the middle of the night vomiting! Please let me help you. I just want to be here for you."

Kaoru couldn't tell you if it was guilt coming to a head, the terror and adrenaline still coursing through her system from her dream, her current exhaustion from the lack of sleep or some combination of things but it came forth in the harshest of ways. She scoffed, taking the redhead by surprise.

"I'll be fine. I was alone before you met me, and you left me much worse when you left for Kyoto." She wanted to take back the words as soon as she said then. Kenshin sucked in a breath sharply. Her own eyes were wide as she locked gaze with his, amethyst filled with hurt and shame.

She reached for him hesitantly, latching on to his hand. He let her. "Kenshin, that was terrible of me. I'm so sorry."

She was given nothing but a saddened rurouni smile in return. "It seems there are some things we should probably talk through tonight after all."

* * *

A/N: This was not at all where I planned on ending this chapter. But phew, there's just so much to get through and this is a process. This chapter and the next were some of the hardest yet my favourite to write because this feels a bit like filler. I absolutely hate filler content that isn't well orchestrated or thought through. On the other hand, the manga left so many plotholes (What happens if Kenshin and Kaoru never talked about the impact of Kyoto with each other? We have no proof they ever truly do they communicate after Jinchuu? What does their trauma bonding truly look like?).

It felt like a must to start piecing some of these things together now because it feels urgent. Jinchuu was the closest Kenshin and Kaoru come to losing each other and the most honest about how they feel about each other. There's just all of these smaller things they've never publicly resolved with each other and the world. With everything that's happened, everything that could stop them from being happy is bubbling up now.

At least that's how I hope you'll see this chapter. Kyoto arc will be winding down. Chapter 6 will be our last bit of time in this overwhelming city for my KxK shippers. I'm curious to know if there are any pieces or manga plotholes that you all would be expecting to arise before or after we leave Kyoto behind. Also, there's a fun little nugget I threw in this chapter that I'm hoping y'all picked up on. ;) Let me know if you found it and leave your thoughts in the reviews. Don't forget to follow, favorite or share with a friend! It's always great to find community and outreach from the fandom, and with social distancing, I'm all for some communication!

-BABN


	6. Chapter 6: Kyoto, Part 4

I'm so happy to be able to give you all this chapter after a turn around of only threeish weeks! Writing has been a source of escape from what's happening beyond my home and the stress of being an essential worker still for portions of my job. Hopefully, y'all will enjoy this final chapter of the Kyoto arc of CHTY. Author's notes at the end of the chapter.

One of you was wondering what the nugget from the last chapter was. Take a look at where Kenshin and Kaoru's carriage disappeared off to! It's a fun and relevant RuroKen mention so let me know if you get it!

Clarifications on text is as follows:

"Conversation"

'Thoughts'

Emphasized text

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Still the same disclaimer as Chapter 1!

* * *

Coming Home to You

Chapter 6: Kyoto, Part 4

"It seems we do have some more things to discuss tonight after all."

Kaoru's eyes widened immediately, sputtering as she inched closer to the redhead. "That was unfair. Oh my Kami-sama, Kenshin, that was so unfair. I'm so, so sorry."

Eyes hidden behind his bangs, Kenshin remained quiet for an uncomfortably long moment. Mentally sorting through the thoughts in his head that were begging him to tell the bluenette how much he wanted to stay with her in Tokyo where he'd been happy for the first while in quite a while- but didn't. His hands clenched. "But it's not untrue."

Kaoru looked away in shame before glancing at him again, struggling for words. _'He tried to help me, and I'm just making him feel worse.'_ A gentle finger hooked under his chin, lifting his head and forcing him to make eye contact with her. "Maybe. But that doesn't mean you get to be my punching bag."

Sensing her sincerity, he decided to lighten the mood. "Only the one you throw things at." His left palm settled on her shoulder

The corner of her mouth lifted into a smile, grateful for his forgiveness and patience with her. "It's not at you, you just end up in the way sometimes."

Both laughed- Kaoru's laughter, loud at first, quietly dissolved into tears. Hiccuping through her chest. Each shudder that racked her body rocked his resolve. His arm relaxed gently, falling forgotten to the curve of her waist "Are those good tears?"

"Kind of." She sniffled. "I really am sorry, Kenshin, for what I said. And actually I really could use your help." He began to pull away; her hands clasped at the cusp of his gi, keeping him anchored where he was. His left arm stilled in its place, thrown gently over the curve of her waist. The realization brought a fluttering to his chest "Can you hold me like this for a little while..?" The words came out quietly as she nuzzled her face into his shoulder in embarrassment.

Hesitation flashed across his face, finding a temporary home there. It echoed through his silence

"Please." the sound was choked. Desperate and ashamed. "I just…" her mouth gaped, lips quivering as she fought for the right words. Torment pierced through his chest painfully. "Your being near just brings me so much peace, I-" she continued the struggle for words. He ground his teeth together in the same instance he moved. Gently, he tucked his injured right arm into his chest as his left slipped under her right arm, reaching around to guide her head to his chest as they rested together on the futon.

She was hurting; he couldn't help but do something. _'She could ask for the moon, and I know I can't reach it but I would try endlessly for her.'_ He breathed shakily as the gravity of his thoughts settled in his chest. "Is this okay, Kaoru-dono?"

She nodded gently against his chest, body quivering with held in emotion. "Yes." A moment passed. "I'm sorry again, really, I… I'm sorry." She paused again. "And thank you. Really, I mean it, Kenshin. Thank you." He'd never heard his name spoken in such a cherished manner. He rested his chin in her hair, eyes slipping closed as he breathed in jasmine.

They fell asleep that way. Him holding her to his chest. Her clutching his yukata tightly, a death grip they'd never mention after this. Teeming beneath the surface of their skin was guilt that they both tried to keep down. Him for how his actions continue to hurt her. And her for snapping at him, trying to hurt him the way he'd once hurt her. Blanketed in warmth, her eyes slipped closed.

* * *

"I'm sorry about last night." It seemed she knew he was awake too. He kept his eyes on the ceiling just as she did. Somewhere outside their room birds chirped busily through the morning._ 'We've shifted in our sleep,'_ he noticed absentmindedly before responding. Though no longer facing each other, Kaoru was still close enough to rest her head on his shoulder gently. The tingling feeling in his left arm signaled the limb had fallen asleep a while ago.

"You were hurting, and I could tell that you felt bad. You'd apologized enough. I wasn't going to make you feel worse in that moment."

"Can that be our new normal? For when we fight, I mean?" She sighed softly as she considered her next words. The sound felt weighted. Heavy. "We've disagreed about things before. It's normal, and I get it. But I don't want it to be about lashing out at each other. From you or from me." They both reminisced briefly to Kenshin's outburst at her from two nights previous.

Kenshin smiled gently, a twinkle in his eye at the notion. "I wouldn't mind that, I suppose."

Her teeth pulled at her bottom lip shyly. "I want to be as good to you as you are to me."

_'Does she not realize how good to me she's been?' _Kenshin turned his head. He studied her a moment before his next words, shifting the topic completely. "Still feel anxious about sharing a futon?"

She laughed, turning on her side to face him as well. She burrowed her head into the pillow before relaxing her body. Her eyes shone shly as they found his. "No. I like sleeping next to you actually."

His eyebrows raised, paired with a smile. "Is that so?"

"Ah. You bring me peace. I meant that when I said it before."

He smiled at her lightly. "You keep my night terrors at bay."

Kaoru shot up, blanket pooling at her waist as she turned, looking down at him in shock. "You get them too!?"

He nodded, tugging her back down to the futon sleepily. _'I'm not ready to get up just yet.'_ Absentmindedly, he cleared the bangs away from her forehead, trying to see her eyes better. "Mmm. Moreso negative thoughts that keep me from sleeping. Sleep comes easier with you though." Bashful, she peered at him through the pieces of her bangs that fell back in her eyes again. "No night terrors for you then?" she questioned shyly.

He shook his head, blinking with the movement. "No night terrors." He chose not to say "yet" out loud, even if he was thinking it. _'No need to worry her now.'_ "I assume last night then was a rough nightmare for you then."

"I'm sorry again about waking you last night and, well… all of it really. I… wasn't completely honest with you before."

Kenshin, nodded, adjusting his injured arm in front of his person as he waited for her to continue. The room felt small, and she swallowed thickly before continuing. "So my dream…"

* * *

Making their train in the morning was probably the easiest part of the trip. Kenshin and Kaoru shared the morning amongst Okina and the Oniwabanshu, laughing with each other over tea and some cakes. Though a small meal, it was comfortable and one the two were happy to share with friends before boarding the train.

The Kenshin-gumi welcomed her home, carefully avoiding areas where volunteers from the neighborhoods were helping to repair the damage done to the dojo. The bluenette was amazed to hear how many of her neighbors volunteered to help when they heard she was alive and well.

Now, Misao bounded around the group as Megumi stayed near the fire, scooping rice into bowls for her friends. Sano assumed his typical position lazing on the engawa, chewing on a fish bone as he kept an eye on the freshly cooking food.

Keeping an eye on their friends, Kenshin turned to her, sharing a smile she'd only seen him wear once as she'd welcomed him home from Kyoto. _'He seems truly at peace now.'_ He had been pressured into showing off for the Dr. Gensai's grandchildren, balancing his sword on his nose gently as Ayame and Suzanne clapped enthusiastically. The moment was short-lived, and the two began to boo as Megumi snatched the sakabato away, berating the swordsman to focus on his health.

She giggled at the sight as a shadow cast over Kenshin caught her eye. She would never forget that look on his face. Wind blowing gently through the scraggly ends of his red hair, Kenshin's head quirked adorably to the side just as his own eyes widened drastically in realization. Just as hers did.

And.

Just as a sword pierced easily through the left side of his back and out through his stomach. held none other than Enishi Yukishiro.

In a brief moment of silence, Kaoru ran to him. Enishi twisted the sword as he withdrew, leaving a gaping hole in Kenshin's abdomen. Dr. Gensai ushered the two little girls into the dojo, their high-pitched cries piercing the air.

The young man laughed maniacally, watching as the redhead's blood dripped down his sword slowly.

Enishi turned his eye to her. Body shifting, he stalked towards her predatorily. The Kenshin-gumi begged her to run and find a safer place to hide. She couldn't hear anything besides ringing in her ears at that moment. It all felt familiar. Well, that and-

"Did you really think I would let you come home so he would get to be happy with you?"

Her mouth sputtered. Her chest was burning, and air felt hard to come by. A cough below her caught her attention and she returned her gaze to the man that she never got to tell how she truly felt about him. Tears gathered in her eyes. "I'm sorry I keep leaving you, Kaoru. Though this one feels a bit more permanent than the rest."

She choked back a sob, caressing his scar delicately. "No, no, no, no, no. Don't you dare say that. We're gonna get you fixed up, and we're gonna laugh about how invincible you are, and things will be fine so don't you dare give up on me now, Himura Kenshin! Megumi!? Megumi come here! Please!"

He coughed again. The sound was wet. As Kenshin opened his mouth again, she could see blood swishing through his teeth. It became harder to breathe. "I don't think I can promise you that, Kaoru." He stroked her hand gently. '_Weakly,' _she realized. Her heart fractured.

A sob overcame her and her shoulders heaved. Grasping at his hand, she brought his limb to her face, unable to keep herself from weeping. She felt Megumi's body approach, bumping the smaller woman as she checked Kenshin's vitals.

As Kaoru lifted her head, Megumi paused briefly, before repeating the process. After what felt like minutes. She turned to Kaoru, eyes distant.

"Kenshin was responding really well as I began checking his vitals. As I got closer to the wound, I realized I was losing pulse. I repeated the process, but-"

"Megumi-"

"-Kenshin's body was tired. Between two extremely exhausting battles so close after the fight with Shishio-

"What are you saying?" Nothing. Kaoru felt nauseous.

"MEGUMI, WHAT ARE YOU SAYING!?"

"He's gone Kaoru. Kenshin is gone." She saw red.

Sobbing tears of anger, the bluenette launched herself at the white-haired man, only to find Aoshi's back in front of her. Sano and Misao jumped at the distraction, holding her back even as she clawed at them, desperately trying to reach Enishi. Yahiko scrambled towards Megumi and the redhead, searching for a pulse that could prove Kenshin had miraculously survived.

Enishi stared at the scene, eyes vacant. Removed. His lip curled then, as his hand clenched, punched one of the posts on the engawa to his left. "She's still not smiling." He punched the wood again this time harder. "My sister's still not smiling!"

"Misao and Yahiko." Aoshi's eyes never left Enishi's form as he spoke. "Please go to the police chief and let him know what happened here today."

Misao tugged on Yahiko's gi. The boy held a vice grip on the bloody magenta gi, tears in his eyes. Looking closer, she realized he was applying pressure to his would. "Wake up, Kenshin." Her vision wavered.

"Yahiko, we've gotta go."

"I won't leave him."

"Yahiko!" Louder this time. More broken this time.

"He needs me here with him! I'm NOT leaving him!" The small boy clung to the unmoving man desperately.

Misao locked eyes with Aoshi, who nodded shortly. She took off running towards the gate. Aoshi's eyes dared Enishi to stop her, watching carefully as the man's chest heaved with unbridled, defeated rage.

Misao wiped at her tears as she hopped to the rooftops of the city. Her footsteps were echoed by the broken wails of Myojin Yahiko and Kamiya Kaoru as well as the choked tears of the Kenshin-gumi.

* * *

Enishi let himself be lead away that day by the police. The Kenshin-gumi didn't hear from him after that. Not after Megumi sealed up Kenshin's wounds. Not after he was dressed in white. Not after the funeral session or after he was laid to rest in the ground. The nausea had stayed.

The funeral was a big event.

Kaoru hated that fact. That the government had decided to honor Kenshin for his hand in shaping this new Japan. Nothing that would incriminate him, of course. Just medals of honor. _'Kenshin would have hated this. The grand speeches. The glorification of his violence.'_ She would have voiced the thought, but Hiko did a damn good job of cussing out every man in an official uniform, blaming them for the death of his son.

He'd been emotional too. Despite never seeing him with his usual flask, the man reaked of alcohol everywhere he went, teetering around the premises under the influence. It didn't help with the nausea. She'd felt nauseous since he died.

The bluenette almost felt like she could confide in Hiko. Ever since his death- Kenshin's death- no one had heard her speak. She would gesture, fix food, practice her katas in the dojo. But none of the Kenshin-gumi had heard her say a word since the day Kenshin had choked on his own blood in her arms.

* * *

Kaoru took a swig of the flask, feeling calm as the cold water hit the back of her throat. The flask shook in her hands. "That was the dream." She said quietly. The candlelight flickered across her face, receding as if injured.

"When I woke up on that island, Enishi never told me what happened to you. He basically just… he told me that he was waiting for you to die. And that I could only go home once you did," she started shakily.

Kenshin's teeth grit.

"I tried everything. Escaping, fighting my way out, being nice." She scoffed under her breath. "Being nice didn't get me anywhere except hurt."

"Your neck." He eyed the bruising carefully. It was almost gone. _'She must be using Megumi's ointment still.'_ He tried to ignore the darker thoughts swirling through his mind that told him she wouldn't have those bruises if he had never come back to Tokyo after Shishio.

"Yeah. Well, I walked in on him talking to himself, whispering to someone. And then out of nowhere, he just looked at me and said I had to die for Jinchuu to be complete. And so he-" she hesitated, words struggling to choke their way out. "Well, he…" She reached for her own neck slowly, wrapping around herself as she curled closer into Kenshin side. He welcomed her, arm drawing her insta his side.

"He hurt you." Kenshin whispered painfully.

"Yeah… He tried to kill me actually. But he couldn't do it. That's why I think Tomoe was protecting me on the island." She looked up at him with a smile. "From then, I knew I'd be fine since he couldn't hurt me. But I was so worried about you. That's when I started to have the nightmares of Enishi's Jinchuu being successful and… losing you. I must have dreamed of every way that I could have lost you those weeks on the island, Kenshin." She clasped the side of his gi tightly.

He blinked. He'd realized he'd been struggling to hold onto the idea that Kaoru was alive. He hadn't realized she'd been struggling with the same deep-seated worry for his well-being too. '_It's been a long time since someone has cared about my well-being like this.'_ The redhead's train of thoughts were interrupted by a small "Kenshin?" and he realized Kaoru was waiting on a response.

He pressed lips to where her bangs met her forehead, inhaling the smell of jasmine as he recentered his emotions once more. "I'm so sorry, Kaoru. I'm sorry I let you be taken, and I'm sorry it took me so long to find you. I'm also grateful you returned to us alive and relatively safe." He inhaled and exhaled gathering strength before he asked his next question. "Did he hurt you in any other ways, Kaoru-dono?" The question came out quieter. Meek. It took the bluenette a second to understand what he was asking.

Jerking backwards to look him in the eye, she shook her head, furiously. "No, nothing like that! He might be a psychopath, but he couldn't hurt me. Not in that way... I was just worried I'd lost you because I wasn't strong enough." _'Is that what Kenshin thought? What everyone thought? That I'd been..?'_ She couldn't even bring herself to think of the word. She shut her eyes looking away from the redhead in front of her.

Heaving a sigh of relief, he pulled her close once more.

"Look at me, Kaoru."

She faced him reluctantly, still in his arms. Conscious of his injured arm nestled in between their bodies, Kenshin placed his forehead on hers.

"I'm right here with you. And you're beautifully strong. I told you before, Kaoru, the dojo is home for me. As long as I'm welcome, no battle will stop me from coming home."

Kaoru was quiet for a moment, contemplative before she spoke again. "So promise me, that the next time the world is ending it feels like the world is ending and someone needs you, you won't leave me again? At least, not like Kyoto?" Her voice came out small, smaller than she wanted it to. Her eyes- afraid- searched his own, even as they watered ever so slightly.

It was at this moment Kenshin realized how much hurt Kaoru had been carrying from that night he'd left for Kyoto. How much he'd hurt her thinking leaving her behind would keep her safe, when he'd already started to consider the dojo as home. His mind lurched as he remembered hearing her voice through Shishio's labrinth giving him purpose. He'd never told her. They'd never had time, he'd never made the time to say so or apologize for leaving her that way.

"Kaoru, fighting Shishio, you gave me a reason to keep fighting…to keep living. It taught me that I can't walk away from you again so easily, not so callously." He paused, frustrated with his tendency to speak around what he wanted to say. "I've told you before in a roundabout way, but you are a home for me."

The bluenette felt air rush into her lungs once more, hardly noticing she'd been holding it waiting for his response. She nodded enthusiastically, hurriedly wiping away the tears on her yukata before cupping his face with care. She stroked the scar on his cheek gently; he leaned into the touch. "Thank you for being there for me. Just like you always are."

Kaoru curled into his chest. Hands slipping from his face, dragging down his neck, and clutching at his yukata. The action left fire in its wake. The redhead exhaled through his nostrils, calming himself. He wished she had kissed him instead._ 'This is not the time to be thinking such things, baka.'_ The birds outside were centering, chirping away, oblivious to the events inside their room at The Aoiya.

After a long moment, she sighed, rubbing at her eyes and face as she pulled away. "Now that I've thoroughly soaked your yukata with my tears, I should go change." She stood from the futon slowly, aware of his eyes on her. Flushing lightly, she pulled the obi of her yukata tighter in a subconscious response.

"Let me know if you need any help with anything!" Still caught in his thoughts, he tossed out the words absentmindedly, watching her as she adjusted her yukata. Her loosened braid swung over her shoulder as she glanced back at him in surprise.

"With changing?"

Kenshin's brow furrowed before his eyes widened. Jaw dropping, he sputtered, "That's not what I meant!" His frantic words accompanied by his left hand waving in front of his torso, both cut short by her laughter.

"I'm kidding, Kenshin." She made to take a step before turning back towards the redhead. "Though you should be careful with your offers. Someone might take you up on them." Voice twinkling in amusement, she winked saucily to Kenshin's utmost surprise. "I'll be back!" she called as she turned for the door once more.

"Oro?" _'My offer?'_ Kenshin continued staring, brows furrowed at the door Kaoru exited through. Pink flooded his cheeks all at once as realization set almost immediately.

"Kamiya Kaoru, I told you that is **not** what I meant!"

A certain tanuki could be heard snickering as she made her way to the bathhouse.

* * *

_'Just one more tug on this ribbon, then the train station.'_

Kaoru stood in front of the large mirror in the room, mouth twisted as she adjusted the new ribbon that held her hair in her usual high ponytail. _'It feels good to be getting back to normal.'_ Glancing at her face she noticed some puffiness around her eyes. _'That's what you get for crying all night.'_ In the reflection, she caught the shoji sliding open.

Her eyes, narrowed before, flashed in recognition as her heart warmed at the sight of Kenshin. He said nothing, rather continued to watch her adjust her ribbon, leaning on the door frame.

"What is it?" She pulled on both ends of the ribbon sharply to ensure her hair would stay put. _'Did I just make it more uneven?'_ Her eyebrow ticked, and she reached for the ribbon, the redhead's hand beating her to the shorter side.

"I'm glad it's not covered in blood like the last one," She threw a grin over her shoulder, maintaining eye contact as she turned to face him and take him in completely. _'He smells like himself again. Sandalwood and laundry.'_ She giggled, wondering where on the premises Okina let him do their small amount of laundry.

"Ah, and here I'd thought that I'd learned so much since I'd faced off against Jineh." At her arched brow, he sighed, almost dramatically.

"Well, I'd hoped with the last few months at the dojo, I'd learned one lesson at least." Shifting his eye contact, his hand abandoned the ribbon, dragging it down her ponytail pulling it over her right shoulder as he did so. His fingers lingered as they caught the ends of midnight blue strands. He'd always had a fascination with her hair. She forced her shoulders to relax, surprised to find them tense in the first place.

"Are you sad that we're leaving?" Changing the subject. He let her.

His head tilted to the side minutely, still holding the ends of her hair in his fingertips. "Mmm. A bit. Kyoto has a bit of a different energy than I remember."

"I'll miss this Kyoto." _'Our Kyoto.'_ Her eyes caught part of his gi folded awkwardly and moved to fix it absentmindedly. "We made a lot of good memories here over the last two days." She hoped it would help him think happier thoughts of the city. Even if just a little.

"Ah. It's easier to be here with you, with nothing to do except focus on healing." He would say that phrase again and again if it meant he could see her face light up so beautifully once more. She seemed so bright in the darker room. _'When did we get so close?'_ he pondered.

"I'm glad. Plus, now I have so many funny stories to share with everyone. Stories with laughing mushrooms and a small, drunk Kenshin…"

"Mmmm, is that so." He stepped closer, and she shrieked in laughter as she moved closer to the wall behind her. He followed her as if entranced, drawn to the light that she was in his life. She reopened her eyes, finding his to be so full of warmth, focused solely on her. She didn't realize that her laughter had quieted down. Her hands clenched the front of his gi, daring not even a breath to interrupt the moment.

Wrapping his left arm gently around her waist, he rested his forehead on hers. Neither of them moved. Eyes slipped closed. A simple hug from him- that's all it was really. No one said anything. Content. A truly perfect moment.

When they talked about it later, each would argue the other moved first.

Truth was, it was Kenshin. But even with his eyes closed, he felt her energy shift just before he did. Just before she felt the press of his lips on hers.

Their first kiss was gentle. The act prompted her to crack her eyes open, partially in surprise, partially because her urge to capture the moment had kicked in just before her urge to enjoy it. Just as her eyes closed again, he pulled away. His vision tunneled, privy to her lashes batting against flushed cheeks before they opened once more. Ocean blue eyes dazed. Shyness and happiness in her eyes. He wanted more of that. Apparently, so did she. Searching his eyes a moment longer before glancing quickly down at his lips and back, the hand fisted in his gi tightened as they pulled back towards each other.

Their second kiss was firmer, more insistent, yearning for something Kaoru didn't understand how to articulate with her lips. Left hand leaving her waist, he tucked a stray hair behind her ear before settling his hand at the base of her skull, guiding Kaoru's head upward and to the right as she leaned into his palm. Yearning. _'Much better,'_ she thought.

They broke away again, the shihondai flustered at the intimacy of their kiss. _'Not just one, but two kisses, Kaoru. TWO.'_

His eyes caught hers and her jaw dropped at the sheer intensity running through his eyes, amethyst on fire with specks of gold. For her. Finding a singular ounce of self-control, Kenshin began to step back, searching for air. A tug on his gi stopped him.

"One more.

"Hm?"

One more kiss. For good luck." she whispered against his mouth, pulling him off balance and flush against her person.

His mind shut down as his hard body pressed against her softer one and he stumbled forward, his left hand barely catching the wall behind her as the two almost fell. The pain filtering through his recovering body was overshadowed by the taste of her lips. _'Did she have to taste so sweet?'_ He groaned internally.

Lips still connected, his face felt warm as the hands cupping his face slid down his neck to his shoulders, locking together behind his neck. Holding him close and forcing him to take another step towards her. Closing the space between them. The new angle invigorated sparks in his lower stomach, and mouth parting, his teeth scraped her bottom lip. Asking for entry. Kaoru whimpered into the kiss, arching firmly into him completely. A surrender of sorts. His eyes shot open at the sound at the same time he ripped himself away. The room felt too hot. His body felt too hot. _'Too much, baka.'_

"...Kenshin?" She locked gazes with him, eyes holding a question at his sudden break away.

Slowly, he leaned his forehead against the wall behind her, panting fiercely. "One second please," he murmured lowly. He could feel his heart racing through his ears. Her smell filled his nostrils as he searched for breath. Licking his lips, he realized he could still taste her. _'She must have had a peach with her breakfast.'_ The redhead would never think of that fruit the same way. He tried desperately to think of anything else.

Almost lazily, the two of them tried to catch their breath. Puffs of breath against her neck were doing strange things to her insides. _'I felt like this on the ship too, sharing the bed with Kenshin.'_ She recalled the way she felt hearing how his voice was in the morning- and this one too- the tone still husky with sleep. After a long moment, it became too much. She pressed her palm flat against his abdomen.

"We should-" Hesitation. Kenshin swallowed thickly, able to respond more quickly this time.

"Right." Heavy breathing. "Right. Right."

"Ready in five?" A pause. More breathing.

"Of course, Kaoru-dono."

Her mouth twisted at this.

She pressed against his stomach once again, firmer this time. "Kaoru."

"Oro?" He blinked, pulling away to look her in the eye. The Rurouni was back.

Smiling, she pinched his nose affectionately in return. "Call me, Kaoru, Kenshin. You don't get to kiss me like that and then call me, Kaoru-dono. Not when we're alone like this. Not when it's just the two of us."

For a moment, she thought he might kiss her again. He stared at her, in awe of this woman who had his stomach twisting in ways both old and familiar yet new.

"Okay. Okay." He gazed at her in adoration. "Kaoru." Each syllable rested purposefully on his tongue. Her stomach clenched. "I'll call you Kaoru." He rested his forehead on hers once more, eyes still gazing into her own.

"Oh, no you don't!" She pushed his chest away from her lightly, mindful of his injuries. "Don't do that forehead thing! That's how we got here in the first place, baka!"

He laughed, full bodied and whole. It irritated his wounds, but he couldn't help it. This little woman in his arms was an enigma.

Stepping away from the wall, he guided her to their belongings near the door. He glanced back at her as she fumbled with the locks on the doors of Megumi's medicine cabinet. At his pause, she turned to look at him, head tilted to the side adorably. He smiled in return.

"Let's go home, Kaoru."

* * *

A/N: I've been waiting to share this chapter with y'all since I started this story. I think quite a few of you all have been waiting on some KenKao fluff. It's been mentioned through reviews multiple times that you all have appreciated the peaks into Kenshin's inner thoughts and I'm glad to hear! While on one hand, I was thinking that Kensin and Kaoru's emotions and interactions with each other might feel rushed, I'm trying to account for the trauma that these two have gone through and how that can undoubtedly bring people closer together, especially since they already have feelings for each other. Hopefully, that translated well, and I didn't completely botch it up.

I hope Kenshin and Kaoru's flirtiness, which poked through, makes sense, and doesn't feel OOC. I imagine Kaoru being a big shit talker and maybe walking herself into situations she doesn't expect or different than what her likely limited knowledge about what it means to be intimate with another person. Kenshin on the other hand, has a teeeeeeny bit more knowledge and experience than Kaoru does. His simultaneously trying to become more comfortable with Kaoru, while also not overwhelming her are some of my initial thoughts in this part of their relationship, but who knows. I like hearing all of your thoughts since they help expand the vision of the characters and plot line.

This chapter personally feels like a mini arc ending. Soon we'll get to see our lovebirds back in Tokyo, where it won't just be the two of them anymore. I'm sure Kenshin will be curious to ask the rest of the Kenshin-gumi why Kaoru feels the need to be perfect to him. And Kaoru still has to resettle with the rest of her friends. There's still plenty of healing and loose ends that the manga left so plenty more to write. Of this next arc, I've got an established outline with some things I'd like to create and draw attention to. So about maybe five to seven more chapters til a possible ending. I'd be curious where you all would be interested in seeing this particular story conclude, though I've got ideas.

Thank you again to everyone who's reviewed, whether it's once or every chapter. I'm happy to hear your thoughts and helpful critiques, and I'm always grateful to hear how you're doing. Leave reviews, alerts, and follows as always! Please share with any RK lovers and stay healthy!

-BABN


	7. Chapter 7: The Dojo

It's good to be back. I've been writing non-stop for the last month and this chapter finally clicked. So well, in fact that I conjured up an extra long chapter with 16 pages worth of material (with some KxK fluff you'll hopefully love) and will be revising the last few chapters over the course of the day. Authors Notes at the bottom list some in-process thoughts, though I'd be interested to know your thoughts on the length of this chapter too. But getting to what you're here for- welcome to the Tokyo arc!

Clarifications on text is as follows:

"Conversation"

_'Thoughts'_

_Emphasized text_

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Still the same disclaimer as Chapter 1!

* * *

_Coming Home To You_

Chapter 7: The Dojo

The trip back to Tokyo had been comfortable.

They didn't talk much on the train, but being near each other in the aftermath of the morning felt like enough.

Kenshin snuck a glance at the bluenette out of the corner of his eye. He caught her hands wringing each other, hidden by the shifting sleeves of her kimono. Though she kept her gaze out the window, Kaoru's eyes flickered from the window in his direction every few minutes. He could tell because her head shifted in his direction slightly each time, which, to his delight, was often. Her hair was tucked behind her ear in what he could only consider strategic, especially once he realized that her hair pulled back provided less obstruction for her glances. At him.

Feeling flattered, chuckled internally. _'If she wanted to keep her feelings hidden, she should be covering her ears.'_ The tips were red, the same color he imagined her face to be, if she would turn towards him so he could see her.

He was sure the kisses they had shared were prioritizing her thoughts. He'd hardly been able to keep his mind off it. It was completely unplanned, but it felt natural to be close to her in such a way. To be exploring intimacy with her after the last few overwhelming weeks. Kissing her was good… yet anxious. He felt as if he was rushing and moving too slowly with her at the same time.

Intimacy with Tomoe had built up over time in a way that Kenshin had been hesitant to accept until he finally shared a bed with Tomoe. But the day they made love was the day she died. _'That doesn't mean slowly becoming more intimate with Kaoru will end with my losing her.'_ He winced as his mind conjured the night of Jinchuu once more, Kaoru's lifeless corpse pinned to the wall of the dojo mere hours after she confessed that she wanted to stay with him. _'It wasn't really her.' _The air around him shifted, and he sighed, deciding he didn't want to compare those two experiences. Kenshin cast a glance in Kaoru's direction.

'_I don't want to skip steps with her though either.'_

A wave of exhaustion flooded his body, and the redhead shifted once more, attempting to reenergize himself._ 'Are there even proper steps anymore?'_ He cursed his hermit past. _'Even one normal relationship would help me out right now.' _A squeak from Kaoru as the carriage hit a rock interrupted his thoughts. _'But life any different, and I could have never met Kaoru.'_ He rested his head on the window to his left as he took in the river near their home.

The road took a familiar turn, and he could sense in his chest that they'd be approaching the dojo soon. He steeled his resolve as the carriage began to slow. While Kyoto had been more than he could have hoped, he could shake himself at his lack of self-control. He kissed her. She'd kissed him back. Twice. _'And deliciously so.' _He ignored the voice that countered his thoughts, reminding himself just how eagerly Kaoru responded to the kiss or even the heated look Kaoru gave him, the feel of her body pressed against his-

The carriage jolted to a stop.

Kenshin tilted his head back, pausing to listen to the heavy footsteps of the carriage driver as he hurried to open Kaoru's door. Kenshin tried desperately to focus on his breathing. _'In through the nose, out through the mouth. _Kaoru's scoff cracked his eyes open.

"What's wrong?" he questioned, puzzled at the sound.

"You'd think he'd help the man who's wounded before the lady," she scowled as he smiled, eyes creased. Squeezing the driver's hand until he winced, the bluenette made her way out of the carriage and to the other side, holding her own hand out to the red head. He gladly accepted.

The steps were easier to hobble down with Kaoru's support. They nodded at the carriage driver, waving as he pulled away from the gate. He pivoted carefully and let his shoulders droop, feelings fading away as he took in the dojo.

'_You got her back, Kenshin. It's okay.' _He exhaled and noticed how the sound echoed through the now empty street. Turning towards the woman looking at him, he nodded toward the gate, small but genuine smile resting on his face. "Shall we?"

Her hand pulled at his left arm gently. "Kenshin, before we go in… one thing."

"Hmm?" His head tilted to the side somewhat… cutely. She worked hard to fight through her flush.

"I-you… you are to me too!" Hands pushed to her cheeks, her eyes were closed as she whisper-shouted the words.

Kenshin blinked at her twice, wheels attempting to turn in his mind with no success.

"Oro?"

Her eyes opened with doll-like nervousness, pressing her pointer fingers together as she continued. "I-I mean before. On the island! And Kyoto too… you said I was your most important person, and the timing never felt right so I never responded. But you're my most important person too." She gestured towards the street, then the gate, feeling sheepish now. She continued slowly. "I just needed you to know that before we walk back in there, and it's everyone again, not just the two of us. So yeah… you too…"

He couldn't stop himself.

She trailed off as his left hand traced her hairline, brushing the strands reverently before tucking the hair behind her ear. Her head jerked up as her eyes snapped to his, feeling warm under his attentive gaze. _'He doesn't always say how he feels, but his eyes and his actions say so much.' _After a moment's pause, his hand cupped her face tenderly, as if she would break. Letting her eyes flutter shut, she leaned her cheek into his hand, nuzzling it softly. The slight exhale that escaped his lips sparked heat in her face and tied knots in her stomach. _'I trust you.'_ She hoped he could feel the thought in his heart.

Her eyes fluttered back open slowly to find him in unfiltered awe of her. Lips parted, wide-eyed expressive awe. _Of her._ He had this way of making her feel so cherished with only a glance in a way that she knew could only be genuine. But rarely was his expression _this_ open with her. Her eyes flickered downward to his lips, biting her own. His lips pursed as he swallowed, nose flared. Her pulse raced. _'Dangerous. This man is dangerous for my heart.'_ Yet she never felt so cared for. Her mind drifted easily to earlier that morning in their room at the Aoiya; her heart, however, blossomed at his next words:

"You too. My _most_ important person."

A beautiful moment.

To be ruined by the other people in her life that she cared for. Admittedly, much less than usual in that moment though.

Kenshin withdrew from her quickly, and she hated the way her cheek cooled, immediately missing the sensation of his calloused fingers against her face. "Wait, why-" she pouted without realizing it. Facing the gate once more, he gave an apologetic smile in her direction. "We have guests." Yes, she cared for her friends much less in that very specific moment.

The gate swung open, revealing one Myojin Yahiko.

"See! I told you I thought I sensed someone out here. You'll stop doubting Myojin Yahiko, master swordsman a-CK" The boy shot into the street as Sano lowered his leg. The taller man smirked at the pretzel-esque heap strewn in the street.

"Shuddup already. You heard the carriage like the rest of us! It's too late for all of that-"

Ironically enough, a foot came crashing into Sano's back in return, sending him plummeting into the street as well. Left behind, an almost perfect footprint mark just to the right the kanji of bad on his back.

"Stop attacking people that I have to patch up, rooster head!" The female doctor had a tick on her forehead, eying Yahiko's concussed form now stumbling through the street as his arms outstretched dizzily to the sides of him.

Watching their friends out of the corner of his eye, Kenshin sighed. _'Perhaps it's for the best, that they interrupted us.'_ The redhead pondered, as close to sulking as the man could get despite his thoughts. His time in Kyoto would be cherished, likely one of the best trips to Kyoto he'd had. But since he realized just how easily he could allow himself to be drawn to Kaoru, just outside the gate as proof, the interruption served as a reminder to breathe. _'Give her some semblance of a normal relationship. It's okay to take your time with her.'_

He eyed her again as she also took in their friends with a relieved nostalgia. Kenshin rested his good hand firmly on her right shoulder. He leaned closer to whisper in her ear, going unnoticed by their preoccupied friends.

"Tadaima."

For a second, she couldn't breathe as her eyes widened; the memory the last few weeks returned to her. The hell she'd been through. They'd all been through. As she turned towards Kenshin, her eyes drifted over Sano, Megumi, and Yahiko, wondering if Misao and Aoshi would come to spectate all of the noise. All of her friends had been through so much lately. Her breath returned, a dam of emotions bursting forth from her lungs as she inhaled. She could have wrapped her arms around him. She really wanted to hold his hand again. Anything that could convey how grateful she was for his welcome.

Her eyes reflected it all.

"Oakerinasai."

* * *

Being back was strange.

While she was grateful to be home, she'd hoped her friends' overprotective attitudes from the ship would have faded. She loved them all. Dearly. She really did. But a week had passed since she and Kenshin had returned from Kyoto and things were getting excessive.

Barring Aoshi, an extremely emotionally intelligent man who valued his own alone time, Kaoru found herself consistently in the company of another individual.

Shopping? Sano.

Around the dojo? Yahiko.

The kitchen, engawa, and even Kenshin's room (this last one irked her more than she cared to admit)? Megumi.

And Misao- she loved the girl to pieces- followed Kaoru everywhere the bluenette did not need to be followed. When Kaoru tried to get some alone time in the bath, Misao weaseled her head in to ask if she wanted to go to the hot springs so they could bathe together. "Spend even more time together," she'd worded it. Kaoru could have snorted. _'There's no way I'm falling for that.'_

She brought her head under the water, blowing small bubbles just beneath the surface in aggravation before sighing loudly. "Look at me, taking a bath just to get some alone time, and I still have to spar later… What a waste of water." Her fingers drummed on the side of the tub impatiently.

She couldn't be too mad at them. They'd all believed her to be dead for weeks. Her own dreams of Kenshin's lifeless eyes still haunted her thoughts and nightmares. She could imagine they were in a similar state.

"Still, a minute of free time outside of the bath..." With a sigh, she leaned her head on the wall behind her. She pouted, searching for more good to focus on.

'_At least, I have my own room.' _She chewed her lip as her shoulders sagged._ 'And even that's not helpful.'_ Nights alone by herself were even worse.

On one hand, sleeping alone made sense. Waking up on the ship in Kenshin's arms was one thing and sharing a futon in Kyoto was another. But those were very specific and emotionally charged situations for Kenshin and herself. She hadn't paused to consider if that could possibly continue to be their normal right now. Or as two unmarried individuals, if it should be. It wasn't proper by any means. Kenshin had mentioned that multiple times in Kyoto. They had no commitment or reasoning to continue. She frowned. Plus, Kenshin hadn't brought up their previous sleeping arrangements either. _'Definitely out of circumstance.' _Her frown deepened.

'_But then we're Kenshin's feelings in Kyoto just out of circumstance too?'_

She banished the thought from her mind immediately. Kenshin might not share a futon with her anymore, and he never really stopped by the dojo to watch her practice anymore in the few days since their return, but that didn't mean he cared about her any less. She clearly recalled their first conversation alone after they returned to the dojo.

* * *

She slid the shoji open, eyes focused on adjusting the laundry bin on her hip less awkwardly. Finding a comfortable position, she lifted her gaze to the redhead resting in his futon. Despite his relaxed appearance, his eyes were open and focused on the ceiling as his neck strained in thought. "Hey Kenshin?"

"Hmm?" The man blinked, eyes softening at the sound of her voice. She settled near his left side. Returning to Tokyo with his injured arm, she quickly realized he would fidget and throw glances in her direction more often if she didn't sit on the same side as his functioning arm. Chewing her bottom lip in thought, she tipped the laundry onto the floor in front of her. He chuckled quietly at the action.

"You spaced out again. You've been doing that a lot lately." She examined the gi she'd pulled from the pile of clothes. _'This one can definitely go in the needs repairs pile. I could probably even fix this myself.' _Her eyes flared with determination as she gripped the fabric tighter.

His eyes widened in classic rurouni fashion. "Oro?"

Throwing a dry look his way, the kenjutsu master huffed. "Don't you oro me. You know exactly what I mean." She leaned into her hip, arms crossed in front of her body playfully.

"I just-" he stopped walking, and she stopped with him. "The time I spent with you the past few days have been some of my happiest in Kyoto." A natural smile slid across his face as he thought of how warm his chest felt simply holding her hand. "Amazing and meaningful and happy. But I want to be thoughtful with what we're doing here." He gestured between the two of them.

'_That wording is suspiciously vague...'_ She set the gi down next to the pile of clothes in front of her, eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?

He offered a sheepish rurouni smile, "I apologize. I didn't mean to think too hard on this. I… I just don't want to rush what we are doing."

"With this," she mimicked his earlier gesture, motioning between the two of them. Glancing at the pile she pushed the clothes away and laid down next to him on her side "What _are_ we doing, Kenshin?" Curled into herself and head resting on her arm, she looked up at him through her lashes. His eyes widened at the motion. _'Don't mess this up, Kenshin.'_ He swallowed at the heaviness he felt..

"Again, I want to be purposeful here, and I feel like my past has already rushed so much, but… spending time with each other. Learning each other... a courting of sorts."

"Courting…" he knew he'd said the right thing as she sat up abruptly. Her eyes lit up in a way he could only call charming. She nodded enthusiastically. "I like the sound of that."

* * *

"But courting in Tokyo seems less intimate than any of the time we spent together in Kyoto."She pulled at rag covering her hair, grumbling as it nearly fell into the water. The mist from the steamy water was starting to settle. Her mind searched for a distraction, or at least a comforting thought. She found nothing. "Megumi would know what to do." she muttered, loathing the self-pity in her voice.

'_You know better than most that Kenshin's lack of words doesn't mean that he doesn't care.' _

"A reasonable thought, finally… why am I overthinking things?" She repressed the urge to drop her head into the water and scream. _'Because I want that man to be so in love with me, he can't help but slip and kiss me impulsively.'_ She let out a groan at that thought, deciding to ignore it as her thoughts spiraled once more, blinking away thoughts of their kiss in the early hours of their last day in Kyoto. _'Not the point, baka.' _She sighed.

On top of all of her emotions, Kenshin's wounds still weren't healing. His eyes, while usually vibrant, seemed exhausted, and he'd admitted often over the week that his body felt heavy. Most of his time, he spent sleeping. Megumi was less than thrilled at the lack of progress.

* * *

"A week and nothing!?" Megumi grabbed the cloth off her head, throwing it to the ground near his futon in frustration. Pacing back and forth, she whipped around toward him abruptly, startling them both.

"Is Sano sneaking you out and dragging you around, and we don't know it?" His mouth opened; the doctor continued before he could answer. "I swear the next time he comes in to have his hand looked at, I'll cut it off! With nothing for the pain!" Her fist hammered into the opposite palm, eyes sparking with terrifyingly dedicated conviction.

Kenshin's good arm waved in front of his person rapidly. "No, no, that's not necessary I'm just not sleeping well is all." It was easier to tell when he was hiding the truth, when so many of his actions were accompanied by the facade of his rurouni smile.

The fox threw him an exasperated look with a raised eyebrow that screamed, "I don't believe you." "We need to make sure you're healing. If infection sets in with how many wounds we're hoping will heal... that won't be a fun time for you, I promise, Ken-san."

"Is there anything we can do to help, Kenshin?"

He eyed the bluenette as if caught by her question, opening his mouth then shutting it abruptly a couple of times. If the situation wasn't so dire, she would've laughed.

"No," he eventually pushed out. "I think continuing to drink tea before I go to sleep and staying relaxed in this room will help me a lot."

Megumi scowled, packing her supplies into her medical case before slamming it shut. "Well, we need to figure out something- and quickly. I'm going to go check my medicine cabinet to see if there's anything I can help induce sleep for you."

No longer paying attention to the other two, she nodded to herself as she inadvertantly stomped to the door, pondering a solution for Kenshin's ailing body. With an absentminded wave, she slammed the shoji shut.

Kaoru shook her head half in mirth, half in worry. "You weren't going to tell her you walk around the dojo when she steps out?"

Kenshin smiled, highlighting the crows' feet that were beginning to creep across his face. _'He really does seem exhausted.' _"That wouldn't make her very happy now, would it?"

She snorted under her breath softly. "It's good to see your survival skills are still intact." He smiled weakly, his rurouni mask tinted by his low energy. She placed a hand on his good shoulder gently.

"Rest. _Please._ I've got to get ready to spar with Yahiko in the dojo." His nails scraped the blanket as his rurouni smile grew. Her eyebrows furrowed.

"You alright?"

Nonchalantly, he shook his head. "Just remembering something is all. Nothing to worry about."

She would have believed him, if his good hand wasn't still fisted in the sheets of his futon. _'He's lying.'_

"Ah haha, right. If you say so…" she smiled with forced ease. He nodded tiredly in response.

"Train safely. I'll see you at dinner." He sighed, staring at the ceiling above him.

_'__She knows...'_

* * *

She rose from the water, drying off with a towel as she stepped out. Slipping on a gi and hakama, she felt lost in her thoughts _'I mentioned training earlier and then came his rurouni face.' _She stopped abruptly as she found herself in front of the door. "The last month has made me cautious. I'm overthinking things…" She slid the shoji open, basking in the evening sun warming the highlights of her face before her eyes opened, narrowed in thought.

'_But even still… why would he feel the need to hide his reaction to that in the first place?'_

* * *

An hour later, Kenshin made his way to the courtyard slowly. Approaching the engawa, he glanced across the yard to the dojo and sighed. The distance from the dojo and the main house felt longer today. He ignored the eyes he felt on his person in the yard. _'Perhaps some rest here first would be wise.'_

"Want to tell me why the fox knocked me around on the way out and told me to stop dragging you around?"

The other presence in the yard did not ignore him. Kenshin smiled knowingly, looking in the younger man's direction. "I apologize, Sano. She seems to think that your habit of dragging me to illegal gambling scenes and such is the reason that my wounds aren't healing."

"Mmmm. I see. Well, thanks for correcting her before she hit me over the head, asshole." Sanosuke crossed his arms in front of him, picking up some fish from the plate in front of him. "Where ya headed, by the way?"

"The dojo," he replied simply. Despite this, the redhead made no motion to move, still recovering his breath instead.

A bird chirped loudly nearby. Casually, Sano wiped some wax from his ears with his unoccupied pinky finger. "Isn't this kind like the reason the fox said she'd skin me alive?" He chewed his food accusingly.

Sheepishly, the redhead scratched behind his head. "Ehhhhhh, well. It's possible, I suppose." The taller man eyed the fish bone in his hand, sticking it between his teeth before he turned to look at the older man with irritation. "You couldn't make my life with Megumi easier, huh?"

Kenshin chuckled as he pushed off the wall he was leaning on. He resisted the urge to sit. It would be difficult to find the energy to move again so quickly if he did so. "Is Kaoru-dono, still inside?

"Yeah, still with the runt. If you're heading that way then…" Despite his reputation as a brash idiot, Sano wasn't an unobservant man by any means. The thin layer of sweat on the man's body concerned him almost equally as much as the fact that Kenshin could barely stand on his own two feet. The red head's shoulder on the wall had been supporting most of his weight. _'The guy really looks dead on his feet.'_

"Ya know, all things considered, I don't think Missy would feel badly if you decided you didn't have it in ya to check in on her right now."

Kenshin waved away the concern. "This one is fine, Sano. Besides, a quick walk should do me some good."

Sano snorted, noting that the swordsman said nothing about his claim to check in on the woman. _'Jou-chan, you lucky lady. You've got a stubborn one in love with ya.'_ Dusting off his pants, he stood and turned towards the door. He tucked his hands behind his head as he glanced at Kenshin. "Well, let's go see Missy then, shall we?

* * *

"Kenshin!" The man in the spotlight settled against the wall with a genuine smile, wincing as Yahiko's bokken slammed into Kaoru's head.

"What's the big idea,Yahiko?" She rubbed the back of her head, tick mark pulsing on her forehead.

"You should stay focused, right Kaoru!?" The two older men smiled, realizing they had yet to hear the boy call Kaoru ugly since before Jinchuu.

"Yes, but this style protects people. And I know you have the skill to hold back your power in a spar, and you _chose _not to, you asshole!"

"Tough shit, right Kenshin?

"Oh for heaven's sake…" the girl muttered, already drowning in embarrassment._ 'Way to point out the way I basically ogled Kenshin when he walked in…'_ As Yahiko's turned towards the two men, Kaoru looked away from the two crossing her arms flustered.

With all of the fighting lately, Sano had forgotten how diplomatic Kenshin could be. "Maa, maa. I'm just here to watch is all. Stretch my legs a little." The redhead even wiggled his toes for affect, legs outstretched in front of him.

Kaoru dropped her shoulders, determined to push back her embarrassment. She had to admit seeing Kenshin in the dojo helped to assuage some of her earlier concerns._ 'I shouldn't be, since I know he needs to rest… but I'm glad he came.' _A narrow swipe from Yahiko's bokken claimed her attention. "Don't get hit again! Distractions come and go, Kaoru!"

The two dove back into the spar and both men let out a breath of relief. Sano ran a hand through his hair with a sigh. "Jou-chan gets so quiet when she's angry now, and it might just be worse than when she was noisy."

The master swordsman nodded wide-eyes in agreement. "Mhmmm, agreed." _'Scary,' _the two men thought together. A downward swipe from the woman that had Yahiko's bokken creaking under the pressure further emphasized the thought.

Sano murmured lowly, attempting to keep the conversation private from the woman and younger boy. "Did ya know that even with all of your sneaking around the house when the fox ain't been here the past few days, this is the first I've seen ya here in the dojo?"

Despite the accusatory tone, the redhead kept his eyes on Kaoru and Yahiko. With the battles they'd faced over the last few months, he could see the two had grown exponentially in their skill. He ignored the voice that hinted that he just wanted an excuse to watch Kaoru in her element. "Mmm, is that so? I hadn't realized."

Sano snorted loudly, earning a twitchy eyebrow from Yahiko just before a shinai crashed into the boy's side. "Focus on your opponent! Distractions will come and go, Yahiko!" Kaoru mimicked the brown boy's words from earlier, taunting him as she twisted into the air. Her shinai flew from right hand to left as she turned, bringing her left hand up with her weapon to block his downward blow. The younger boy grit his teeth, yet refused to let her taunt hit its mark. He jumped backwards and away from her, keeping calm and forcing Kaoru into the offensive.

Sano chuckled at their antics. "Ya know, I wasn't talking about your physical health earlier, Kenshin. You haven't been in here with her since you've come back from Kyoto." _Since Jinchuu._

Sano had to give him credit: the red head didn't even flinch at the insinuation. "You've always been an observant man, haven't you, Sano?" The redhead smiled as Kaoru pivoted, her wooden blade slicing through the air above Yahiko's head. Yahiko dodged narrowly pivoting low around Kaoru only to be intercepted and knocked backwards by a rough blow to his side. _'She holds back with him less. That's good.'_ A prick of pain let him know how exhausted the muscles in his shoulder were. He leaned his head back on the wall for a slight reprieve, resting his eyes as he did so.

'_He's not gonna even pretend to be direct with my question…'_ A tick formed on the younger man's forehead at his friend's oblivious behavior. "Yeah well, I'm just doing what friends do, right buddy?" Sano's hand bore down on Kenshin's shoulder heavily, and the latter squawked unbecomingly, his body struggling under the pressure in its weakened state.

Both men's eyes widened as the taller of the two narrowly dodged the shinai aimed for his head without warning. It fractured against the wall. Their heads whipped to the woman and child fighting just in time to see Kaoru disarm Yahiko of his weapon, taking advantage of his off-balance state. Kaoru dropped into a crouch and swept her leg around, successfully connecting with the side of his knees. The younger boy stumbled forward awkwardly and just into her reach. Gripping his shoulder she pulled Yahiko further off balance and over her shoulder, his arms waving wildly desperate for balance.

Landing on his hands and knees, the boy jumped immediately, an accusatory finger pointed in her direction. "What gives? This isn't taijutsu practice!"

Ignoring the boy, she wrenched her head back towards the two men angrily. "Be nice to him, Sano! He's recovering!"

Yahiko piped up again. "Nice to him? What about me? I'm recovering too!"

"Mmmmm, but you're Myojin Yahiko, the son of legendary samurai, right? You should be fine, ne?" She walked to the wall where her father's shrine laid bowing to him at the waist, letting Yahiko know she was formally done with the fight. The kenjutsu master slid down the wall with a smirk, resting near the other wooden swords hanging on the wall. "Let's break just to be safe though."

"Hey! You just want to stop because _you're _tired!"

She waved him away with a heavy laugh and the wave of her hand. _'If I laugh it off, maybe he'll stop making fun of me, and I can get a second of peace in here like I used to…'_

Kenshin eyed her unabashedly, the woman who has become his fiercest protector. _'What a lovely picture she makes.'_

'_He's just blatantly staring at me like that out here in front of everyone…'_ she flushed brightly, tucking her knees into her chest. Her ankles were out wider than her knees, causing them to point towards each other slightly. A familiar pose to him, he searched to place it. His face scrunched up in thought.

'_Death.' _

The faint sounds of Yahiko and Sano's light conversation drifted away. He sucked in a breath as an almost identical Kaoru stared back at him with lifeless eyes. Blinking, the vision was gone, and he was left with a perfectly healthy Kaoru resting against the dojo wall

It became hard to breathe, and the dojo felt small now. And empty. _'And hot.' _He grasped the front of his gi with his good arm, fanning the fabric against his person.

"Kenshin, why are you standing?" He couldn't hear her. His eyes widened at her position. _'I found her just like this.'_ Dry-heaving, he turned in his heel, scrambling outside without a word. On her feet immediately, Kaoru chased after him.

"Stop running away from me! Kenshin!"

She'd never seen him so panicked, and it scared her even more so than his state announcing Jinchuu or on the island. With that announcement of Jinchuu and his first marriage, he seemed numb, maybe ashamed of the blood on his hands coming back to bite them all on the ass. On the island, he cried inconsolably. Bawled really. But this was different. The man seemed genuinely _terrified. _

"Kenshin, focus! It's us! You know us!" Her eye caught Yahiko after hearing him, realizing he'd followed after Kenshin with her. She hesitated watchingKenshin continue forward, before turning towards the boy abruptly.

"Yahiko, give me a minute with Kenshin." Crossing his right arm in front of his person, he flung his arm to the side in protest.

"But-" She ruffled his hair gently.

"I'll be fine. It's Kenshin. I've got this." She noticed instantly the way his shoulders relaxed at her insistence. The boy glanced past her to the older man who had stopped just in the corner of the engawa before linking eyes with her. Ferocity flickered in his gaze. "Fine." His mind flickered to the broken man he'd seen at Rakinumura, then to the Kenshin's panic attack on the island. Both times he'd been unable to help. Hisrelaxed his shoulder, defeated. "You're the only one who'd probably be able to reach him anyways. So you better- or else!" She let out the breath she was holding as she watched the boy walk away. _'Sometimes I don't think I need to worry about you as much as I do, Yahiko-chan.' _

Steeling herself, she brought her mind back to Kenshin._ 'But he's definitely not okay like he told me he was. And here I thought he was beginning to open up to me.' _She tried not to focus on her frustration, rather his fragile condition. '_He needs support right now. We can talk through communication skills later.' _She turned on her heel slowly as to not startle him.

"Kenshin?" She expected to find the man more unnerved but realized he was able to hold himself together, if even for a little while longer. She spotted him leaning on the shoji, chest heaving as he panted. Eyes closed, his head was tilted towards the ceiling. Each exhale looked painful; her heart wrenched. She took a steady breath, shaking out her hands before stepping forward with resolve.

"Talk to me, Kenshin."

Silence.

"We promised no more secrets remember? Let me be there for you."

Ignoring his fight or flight response, he exhaled through his nose noisily. His words, though, were soft.

"We found you in the dojo, Kaoru." His body visibly tightened with the omission. "I knew the first time that I saw you there would be difficult. And it wasn't really. But when you sat down just then, it was just so similar to how we found you..." He gazed over at her. Tears watered in his eyes as he tried to focus on both her and breathing regularly. "I don't know if these flashbacks will stop, but I'm trying, Kaoru." She rushed to him instantly, hand settling tenderly on his good shoulder.

"Oh Kami-sama, don't apologize! How could I ever fault you for such a thing!? I can't even imagine…" Biting her lip, she glanced at the dojo for a moment before turning back to him. _'I'm sorry, Tou-san...'_ A long breath.

"Is it the dojo? It's been home. And I love it. But I'm sure there are other properties I could rebuild on-"

"I could never ask that of you, Kaoru-dono." At her dubious look, he sighed." Kaoru." She smiled at the correction; it faded as he continued. "Besides, I've been having flashbacks similar to these for a while now," he admitted somewhat sheepishly, expecting her immediate retribution. Kaoru's forehead creased before she sighed. "Well at any rate, thank you for telling me now, Kenshin," she smiled gently. "For letting me care for you."

He peered at her, his eyes searching hers inquisitively. She returned the gaze, sure he'd found what he was looking for as his shoulders relaxed. His left hand snaked up her right arm, grazing over the fabric covering her tricep lightly.

"I'm working through it. I just need time. Though this," he nodded at her person, "is helpful. Having you here again. Talking to you is helpful."

Timidly, Kaoru stepped closer to his person, her own hands hovering as she entered into his bubble. She hesitated with their placement, placing her palms awkwardly on his biceps.

Kenshin inhaled sharply. Having her so close didn't help with his personal rules. _'All of that discipline training out the window so easily.'_ He leaned his head backwards against the wall, attempting some semblance of distance between her. "Kaoru-dono. We discussed this."

"It's _Kaoru. _And this is hardly about that. I'm not trying to move too fast." She brushed the bangs from his eyes. "I just thought you found comfort in being close to those you care about..." Her hand wavered in hesitation. "Or is that not how you like receiving comfort?"

Multiple moments flashed through his mind a simple hand on her shoulder a hug, or more. Jineh. Saying goodbye before Kyoto and the return home. Her admission of wanting to stay with him. Especially their last trip together. Most of the physical contact and intimacy between them had been initiated himself. Perhaps through his travels he'd suppressed more of himself and what made him comfortable than he'd realized. No wonder that's how she was growing to comfort him. He grasped at her arm.

"It is. I just… wait." The words came out small, soft.

His own arm circled around her shoulder slowly bring her into rest securely into his chest. He didn't say a word, but his heart beat thundered under her ear. _'Maybe he's still panicked from earlier.' _She chose not to think about how his heartbeat was increasing rather than slowing down.

Her arms circled around his waist carefully in a way that made him shiver. Nudging his head up gently, she settled her head into the crook of his neck. She flushed, glad from this angle he couldn't see her face. "Is this alright?"

He laughed softly. "I feel like I should be asking you that, Kaoru."

She almost snorted. "Kenshin, I'm out here to calm you down, remember?"

Briefly lifting his head, he nudged her with his chin. "Yes, but I meant physical intimacy. You're right that we haven't really talked about it."

She clucked her tongue at him pointedly. "You think I would be in your arms if it wasn't somewhere I wanted to be?" She settled comfortably into his arms to prove her point shifting, she felt his back stiffen.

Embarrassed, Kaoru pulled back in his arm, eyes looking everywhere but his. She was stopped by a gentle press on her back. He smiled, admiring her ease with him as he began to trace patterns on her back. The relaxing feeling lulled her eyes shut. _'This is the closest we've been since Kyoto. Finally…' _She nuzzled into his chest, mewling affectionately. He froze again at the sound.

She could _kick_ herself_. _"I'm so sorry! I did that last time too, when we…" her face inflamed as she remembered the similar sound she'd made days earlier in a similar situation. Oh Kami-sama, this is so embarrassing! I…" _'No wonder he wants to slow down. I'm a bumbling idiot who throws myself at him every chance I get.' _She let her head fall into her shoulder, feeling extremely self-conscious.

He pulled her closer into his chest, smile dripping in amusement. "I don't mind the sounds you make, Kaoru."

He'd really meant it in such an innocent way. And to be honest, he hadn't actually meant to voice his thoughts aloud. It had kind of sounded like it slipped out. He'd been more impulsive with her lately. The way Kaoru took it however, was less than decent.

Kaoru's mouth dropped, and Kenshin blinked in thoughts. Not more than a few seconds passed before Kenshin's eyes widened.

"Wait, that's not what I-"

"Hentai!"

Her hand wracked across his head swiftly, red staining her cheeks immediately at the voice in her head. _'Would it really be that bad though if this man you care for was attracted to you and said it out loud?' _She tucked that thought away, stomach flipping at the implications.

His hand instinctively reached for the wound at the moments before hers did, both feeling along his scalp for signs of bumps or bruising. He couldn't help but raise a brow playfully at her. "I believe you have me pinned against this wall Kamiya Kaoru, not the other way around."

The bluenette flushed deeply, a pretty shade of pink. She leveled her gaze with his shoulder, eyeing a few loose threads there. "Well I- I'm sorry this is all so new to me. I.."

He studied her pensively reminding himself once again to set a reasonable pace for her. _'Going through something traumatic together doesn't mean we have to rush her. At this point, I just seem indecisive...'_ "Ah, I see." He sighed. "This proves my point, Kaoru. I should slow down-"

"NO!" Her eagerness, though surprising, caused him to chuckle.

"I mean, no, I _like_ when you're open with me. When you hold me. And stuff." the last part she admitted quietly, whispering shyly. Thinking once more "I-I like it." She paused quietly, waiting for him to say something. _'Anything…'_

"I haven't been meaning to upset you. If I'm being honest, I've just been feeling out of my element here," Kenshin admitted ruefully. "My last relationship was nearly ten years ago and didn't necessarily involve courting. Even then, I didn't get out scar-free." He laughed at his own joke, and her eyes flickered to his left cheek.

Slowly, she brought her right hand to his scar, her fingertips grazing along the X delicately before continuing.

"I know there's no way you'll ever forget, but I hope time will help your scars to fade." She finished quietly, shyly, her gaze flickering from his scar to his eyes, from his eyes to his lips and back again. All of it in a way that unraveled years of discipline from his training.

His eyes widened if seeing her as a woman for the first time, trying to take her in all at once. _'Breathe, Kenshin.'_

She blushed at flustering him so obviously, mouth open ready to ramble but gasped as his fingers dug into her obi. Barely restraining himself, he maintained his grip, gathering himself to get a grip on his self control too.

He lifted his head to find traces of pink still coloring her cheeks. _'Let yourself be close to her like you want to be already.'_ Reverently, he brushed her hair behind her ear with his left hand, proud of the pleasantly dazed look flooding her eyes. "I like it too. And you. I like you too."

He more than liked her if he was being honest. But her face lit up so beautifully at the words none the less, he couldn't help but be thrilled he'd said what he said.

"I like you too."

* * *

"Kaoru?"

"Hmm?"

She was curled up into his side as they sat on the engawa, giving time for Kenshin to regain some strength once more before returning to his room. The swordsman felt much calmer now as they looked out at the setting sun together.

"You know you're going to have to start staying in your room more if you want to heal, right?" He laughed with his entire upper body, eyes glimmering mirth.

"Ah. It's about that time, I suppose. To be honest, it's a pain having to do so soon after recovering from the fight with Shishio." He was sure at this rate, he could use double the healing time and bed rest. _'A pain indeed._' He gazed down at the top of her head and fluffy bangs fondly before relaxing once more. "Can I have another moment of honesty with you?"

She smirked. "I'd prefer that, yes Kenshin."

He nudged her head with his own, laughing slightly before settling his head on hers again. "I haven't been sleeping well," he murmured quietly.

She reached up, tweaking his nose gently. "I know, baka. I was with Megumi earlier, remember?"

Kenshin smiled sheepishly, amused at being so softly chastised. "Yes, but I have yet another favor to ask of you, I'm afraid."

* * *

A/N: Taking an almost five month hiatus from this story, definitely wasn't in the plan. This summer took tolls on me in ways that I didn't expect and as much as I love to write, I needed to gather myself to be able to create. Coming back to my favorite manga was pretty energizing, and I've knocked out a pretty solid rough draft of the entire Tokyo arc, which is nice as far as planning goes.

I love this chapter a lot though because I imagine the trip to Kyoto was pretty honeymoonish. Very heat of the moment, and being able to focus on the two in their relationship. Returning to Tokyo, brings societal norms and the differing expectations and emotions from the Kenshin-gumi who know and live with them, not giving them too much space to start figuring things out. Plus, I'm new to writing combat so I hope that I did that scene a liiiiitle bit of justice.I can't wait to start tying up loose ends that the last few chapters left us with and paint the story leading up to the Hokkaido Arc. The story traffic and y'all's reviews over the last few months gave me ideas and appreciation that even a few of you wanted to keep reading this story which I appreciate. I love reading what you all noticed in the story so keep things coming!

-BABN


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